Cranston Police Chief Colonel Winquist told the City Council on Oct. 16 that the police firing range has been used less, that the department has completed multiple sound-mitigation steps and that rifle suppressors have been purchased to reduce noise.

Winquist said the range "is a critical asset to the police department," noting state law requires officers to qualify with the weapons they carry "a minimum of once a year" and that the department must maintain proficiency for public safety. He told the council the range averages 65 days of use per year and that the department has limited outside rifle fire by outside agencies.

The chief described past mitigation work — tree plantings, higher berms and baffling — and cited two prior sound assessments (2017 and February 2021) that found limited potential benefit from further outdoor mitigation. He told the council that enclosing the range would cost "anywhere from 3 to $5,000,000" and that an indoor range also carries ongoing filtration costs of roughly "$150,000 a year." Winquist said the department researched those options and that the Planning Commission rejected a feasibility study that would have cost roughly $100,000.

Lieutenant Joshua Daigon, who runs the training division, presented noise-meter readings the department recorded. He said an on-site pistol reading was 87.8 decibels and an unsuppressed rifle 90 decibels, while a suppressed rifle measured 72 decibels on the range itself. At Cranston West High School staff parking, pistol noise measured 59.2 decibels and suppressed rifle fire was 48 decibels; at a neighborhood corner pistol was undetectable and suppressed rifle fire again was undetectable. "Suppressed rifle fire both at Cranston West and Laconia was on the upper range of the ambient noise," he said.

Multiple speakers from the administration and community said they appreciate the range’s training value. State Rep. Chris Peplauskas and local resident Nicole Ranzulli both said they support the department’s continued use of the facility. The administration’s director said the mayor opposes steps that would require new consultants or large expenditures and confirmed the city does not have a budget for an enclosure.

Councilman Trafficante, who had planned to bring a resolution about the range, said he met with the chief and the mayor and later withdrew the resolution at the Oct. 16 meeting, saying he intended to continue discussions with neighbors and the police department. The withdrawal was accepted by the council.

Council members and the chief invited the public and councilors to visit the range and hear the suppressed rifle fire and noise testing firsthand.

Why it matters: the firing range sits near neighborhoods and two schools; opponents have complained about noise and safety, while the department and supporters say the range is essential to officer readiness and public safety. The city faces a choice between expensive structural changes and targeted mitigation and notification measures implemented by the department.

Council action: Councilman Trafficante withdrew his pending resolution on the range; no ordinance or funding change was adopted at the meeting.