Sheriff defends use of county land for firearms training range; says public notice and environmental controls planned

The sheriff and department officials explained their decision to use a county-owned former landfill site near Patricksburg as a firearms training range after the private range previously used became impractical for department-wide training. The sheriff said the site is county-owned and was chosen because it is as remote as possible and avoids purchase of new land.

Addressing noise concerns raised in the meeting and by residents, the sheriff said training days for the entire department will be scheduled and publicly announced in advance, though routine individual training by officers is not something the department would announce in the same way. "We're going to do our best to inform the public, via our social media," the sheriff said, adding the county will post signage.

The sheriff also said the department is aware of potential environmental concerns related to lead in backstops and berms and that options for controlling and disposing of ballistic material would be considered. A meeting attendee noted past environmental work for other county properties and suggested designing backstops to make future cleanup and disposal easier.

The sheriff said the range is intended for law-enforcement use only, that neighboring residents would be notified about large training days and that the department would attempt to mitigate noise and other impacts while meeting statutory training requirements for deputies.