Owen County residents press commissioners over noise, safety and notice after sheriff's range use

Residents and sheriff's office staff clashed politely at the Owen County Board of Commissioners meeting after neighbors said they were not directly informed before deputies used a newly developed firing range on county landfill property.

Several residents said early-morning training surprised adjoining landowners and disrupted livestock and daily routines. "I should have been told in person that this stuff was going on," one nearby resident said during public comment. Neighbors asked the board to limit the number of range days, avoid holidays and hunting seasons and put agreed restrictions in writing so future boards and sheriffs would be held to the same terms.

County leaders had introduced Chief Deputy Matt Miller of the Owen County Sheriff's Office to answer questions. A sheriff's office firearms instructor acknowledged the noise and apologized for not contacting some landowners directly, saying the department must meet statutory training requirements for deputies and that the location was the most practical available. According to materials the office offered at the meeting and comments from staff, the department reported that on the day in question total trigger time was 20 minutes and 4 seconds, with an approximate round count of 1,100 pistol rounds, 1,020 rifle rounds and 100 shotgun rounds. The sheriff's office said the firing occurred during discrete qualification sequences, not as continuous shooting throughout the day.

Residents asked for an explicit memorandum of understanding that would limit days of use and clarify whether other agencies could use the site. Commissioners and sheriff's staff agreed that a written MOU or similar documentation would add certainty for neighbors and noted the paper trail would be published online. The board also scheduled an on-site walkthrough for 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 1 so nearby landowners and commissioners could view the backstops and discuss safety procedures.

Commissioners said they did not intend to expand use unilaterally and emphasized any future change beyond the department's current plans would require a formal proposal to the board. The chair asked neighbors to meet with Chief Deputy Miller in the coming weeks and pledged the county would assemble and post the range's documentation before the next scheduled meeting.

Next steps: commissioners and sheriff's staff will hold the Dec. 1 site visit; county staff will collect and publish the paperwork trail and consider drafting a memorandum of understanding to set usage limits and notification procedures.