When U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman showed up in New Haven Monday morning, 20 cops opened fire.
In attempt to find federal dollars to replace a noisy shooting range for local cops, city officials invited the Connecticut senator to hear for himself what neighbors have been complaining about.
Standing at a safe distance, Lieberman looked on as a variety of local law enforcement officers unloaded their clips into paper targets marked with pictures of bad guys. For several minutes, the deafening noise of gunshots filled the air at the outdoor firing range on Sherman Avenue, in the Beaver Hills neighborhood. Neighbors have been complaining for years about the negative environmental and psychological impact that the sound of frequent gunshots has on their neighborhood.
Lieberman acknowledged the firing range’s value for training local and regional law enforcement. He promised to try to secure the money necessary to build a modern, indoor, and quiet facility.
At 9 a.m., Aldermen Moti Sandman and Katrina Jones were waiting for the senator to arrive at the police training facility at 710 Sherman Avenue. Sandman, who represents Beaver Hills, said officials invited Lieberman to show him how loud the range gets. The presence of the range has been a point of contention for years, with neighbors complaining about living with the sound of gunshots and worrying about the impact that it has on area children and families.
Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts held a large posterboard showing a map (pictured) of the area affected by the firing range. As Mayor John DeStefano later explained to Lieberman, there are four schools within a quarter mile of the range, along with “thousands of households.”
The firing range is also right next to Beaver Pond Park, which is of particular concern to Nan Bartow, who heads the Friends of Beaver Pond Park group. Bartow said that she has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years, and has heard a “huge increase” in firing range activity in the last few years.
In addition to noise concerns, Bartow said that she also worries about the environmental impact of thousands of rounds of lead being shot into the big hill behind the range, possibly leaching from there into local bodies of water.
When Lieberman arrived, he was escorted down to the range, where he greeted the mayor. A variety of cops started pumping lead into the hillside. Law enforcement officers from local, regional, and federal agencies were on hand, to demonstrate that the firing range is not simply a New Haven concern.
In addition to New Haven police officers, members of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Hamden Police, the Coast Guard, and the U.S. Marshalls were firing bullets on Monday morning.
After reloading and emptying their clips twice more, the police officers paused to give the police chief, the mayor and the senator a chance to address the press.
“There is no more compelling argument than to stand here and listen to this,” Lieberman said. He described the firing range situation as a problem and an opportunity. The opportunity, he said, is to “pool our resources” to build a “first-rate facility.”
“We want those who are protecting us from crime to be skilled at the use of their firearms,” he said.
Lieberman acknowledged the value of the range for regional and federal law enforcement training. “That’s one argument that Sen. [Chris] Dodd and I have made to our colleagues,” Lieberman said.
He said he secured $225,000 for the firing range in the new Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill. That bill has been passed by the Senate but still needs to make it through the House. Lieberman acknowledged that $225,000 will not be sufficient to pay for a new facility, which is estimated to cost $6 million. He referred to the $225,000 as a “first payment” and promised to press for more.
Mayor DeStefano said that a new indoor shooting range could be built at the site of the current range on Sherman Avenue. The city is also looking into the possibility of moving the range to the Army Reserve Base on Wintergreen Avenue. The mayor said that temporary mobile ranges will be brought in this fall for training.
A new range would allow police officers to train in a variety of lighting conditions, said Smuts. Because the current range is in a residential neighborhood, cops can only train during daylight hours, so as not to disturb the neighbors. Having an indoor, 24-hour facility would allow cops to train at all hours the day. This would allow the city to save money since officers on the overnight shift could train during regular hours, and not have to be paid overtime to come in and shoot during the day.
“I believe the senator understands the issues facing our neighborhood,” Sandman said, as Lieberman shook hands with the officers on his way out.
“I’m extremely encouraged by this,” said Bartow.
Best lead-in to a story EVER. Thomas, I owe you a beer.