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Supervisors press staff to find lawful disposal or sale for surplus probation ammunition
Summary
Cochise County supervisors questioned staff about surplus adult probation ammunition that no longer matches department firearms; staff said the ammunition was purchased from probation fee funds and they are exploring auction, transfer to law enforcement, or trade options under state disposal rules.
Supervisors on Thursday questioned county staff about surplus ammunition the adult probation department no longer needs after a change in the type of firearms carried by probation officers.
Theresa Rockridge, representing adult probation, told the board that the department has two types of ammunition (training and duty) that no longer fit updated duty firearms after a change from .40 caliber to 9 mm. She said staff tried to identify internal county users but ultimately worked with other law-enforcement partners that might accept the surplus.
Rockridge said the ammunition had been bought with the department's probation fee account and not from the county general fund. "We really worked hard to find another county department that could use it," she said.
Supervisors and staff discussed options including transferring ammunition to another government agency, putting it on public surplus auction, trading it for 9 mm ammunition, or seeking reimbursement. One supervisor referenced state law and said the statute requires sale or transfer to another government agency rather than destruction; staff said they would check procurement rules and the statute.
Board members asked staff to pursue clearance from procurement, solicit interest from local law-enforcement partners and evaluate whether PublicSurplus or other government-auction channels could recover value. Staff said the cost to ship to the original vendor and legal/administrative constraints had complicated disposal options, and that they would return with more information at the next meeting.
No final disposal decision or sale was authorized in the work session; staff were directed to research procurement constraints, storage, auction options and potential trades or transfers.
