Law Enforcement
Police Plan Pistol Practice At Poop Project
January 10, 2008 
Looks like the pistol packing police plan to practice plinking at the poop project.
Put another way, “Boise City’s Twenty Mile South 4,000 acre biosolids waste application farm has been selected as the site for the police shooting range.”
Neighbors in the area of the foothills landfill complained at public hearings about locating a proposed training facility in proximity to their homes. The Sheriff Gary Raney and Boise Chief Mike Masterson searched the county and came up with the remote facility in the desert. We agree with the choice as it will eliminate chance for conflict with residential projects.
In the course of doing research on the issue, the GUARDIAN previously checked with police departments around the nation about shooting policies and training ranges.
We like the policy of the Los Angeles PD. They have one range where citizens are allowed to shoot on a daily basis if there are lanes available. Opening up such a facility to citizens makes sense in Ada County. A modest user fee can be charged so target shooting can be conducted at a safe facility under the direction of trained gun users.
The top lawmen tell us they anticipate the shooting range will be used all law enforcement agencies in the county under a joint agreement to share the costs of operation based on the number of officers on the departments. Current construction cost estimates are at about $2.6 million.
In addition to a host of safety features, they plan to “capture” flying lead in a bed of shreaded tires to prevent pollution from lead slugs.
A final note. We have suggested the facility be named in honor of former Boise cop
Dick Linderer who passed away several years ago. He was the lead firearms instructor and rangemaster for many years.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jan 10, 2008, 11:40 am
Sounds like a good idea to me – why not put two critical but undesirable uses next to each other?
I knew Dick Linderer at the BPD and the Marshal’s service and he was always a dedicated public servant. Naming the range for him would be a good way to honor his contributions.
Jan 10, 2008, 1:13 pm
The GUARDIAN’s proposal is safe, sound, practical and honorable.
Thank you for your ongoing willingness pontificate, cajole and suggest on important issues facing us all, vis-a-vis merely reporting them.
Truly.
Jan 11, 2008, 7:07 am
2.6 Million ! WOW!
Bit high don’t you think?
Damn we have to pamper them that much?
What ever happened to a simple struture with a spot of heat and a bathroom?
Jan 11, 2008, 4:05 pm
And the special-recognition Pulitzer, for “Most words beginning with ‘P’ used in one sentence,” goes to….
… Dave from the Boise Guardian!!
(-;
I like your notion of opening a range to the general public. Even better… I’d like the notion of a private entrepeneur building the range, and renting out the facility to law enforcement and whoever else wants to use it.
Jan 11, 2008, 5:28 pm
Bikeboy, I’m all for privatization of government functions, but only if it comes with a real savings, which it usually doesn’t. Both The City of Boise and The City of Meridian have run into problems when co-mingling funds with the private sector such as when guaranteed lease backs of private property, rather than investing themselves, have incurred cost that wouldn’t otherwise have to have been paid such as property taxes. The city is tax exempt, private business is not. Just that fact alone excludes most savings by farming out the poop farm.
When I started my own business my accountant advised me to never pay someone else to do what you can do your self and he was right. The next year after I got his bill I fired him and bought tax software.
By the way, a controller for a major not for profit organization in the area once told me that they were not a non-profit organization. Not for profit is an intention, non-profit is just an unfortunate situation.
Jan 12, 2008, 1:10 pm
Hope that I, as an Ada County resident, don’t have a dog in this fight. Guess though that even if I do it would only be a misdemeanor and a wrist slap anyway.
The environmental impact statement, just the part about the small arms fire disturbing poor dead Morley’s birds, should be quite entertaining in itself.
What seems to be the problem with utilizing, or even enlarging, the current and MUCH closer to Boise, qualification range at the state pen? Then again, maybe Boise would have to fight with the little demigods in Kuna over who owns that land.
The poop farm location should be handy for the patrol car commuter currently living in the new subdivision at Blacks Creek and Cloverdale. At least HE won’t have to go too much further to get his gun off, unless he needs to report to work before he heads to the range.
EDITOR NOTE–There were 2 commuters at that new subdivision last time we checked.
Jan 13, 2008, 9:21 am
Thanks Dave. Maybe those two car pool. . . If they cajole enough more compadres to move out there the city could add the area to the bus route. That would sure send Kuna into apoplexy.
Since the constables are driving official vehicles do you suppose they are “on the clock” for their extended commutes? I’ll bet that the employees on extended field trips to and from the proposed range in the Birds of Prey area for practice and qualification will be. . . Forever.
But then with the excessive profits that the cities and county are making from renting our land and houses back to us perhaps the local gov’ts can use the extra vehicle mileage, depreciation and overtime as tax write offs!
Jan 13, 2008, 11:12 am
Looks like we have too much duplication. We have a POST academy for everyone but BPD who have their own. We have a range for the prison and one for everyone else. I still think the BPD should be disbaned and their duties assumed by the Sheriff. We are an urban county now.
Jan 13, 2008, 3:20 pm
Interesting, Boise was trying to swap this land with the BLM so they could “block up” property on the North side of the poop farm. The idea was to trade marginal land for something that they could use for land application and to tie into a 1/4 section that is land locked.
I guess the cops are trying to take over a big part of the operation. The proposed shooting range is not contiguous with the bomb disposal area as they claimed in the presentation to the PW commission.
Jan 13, 2008, 10:55 pm
Eric,
Even the Idaho state police dont believe their own POST academy meets their needs, and send their own officers through an Additional (much more extensive) academy afterward. If ISP doesn’t believe that the basic POST is comprehensive, why should BPD?
I thought that BPD sent its officers through POST and then added to that with their own. Recent articles imply that they simply put on all of their own academy now, but I dont know if that is simply a misunderstanding by the press (very likely) or actual fact.
Regardless, I think that we can look at the basic POST acadamy as just that, Basic training, with each jurisdiction having the responsibility to add to it based on their own needs.
Given that BPD is perhaps the largest Law Enforcement agency in Idaho, with demgraphic variety and demands far in excess of the rest of Idaho, I would be disappointed if indeed they didn’t add to the POST academy.
EDITOR NOTE– BPD has its own academy, certified by POST. The reason for a POST academy is to comply with basic PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS AND TRAINING for all the departments in the state–most of which could not affort their own academy due to small size.
Jan 14, 2008, 8:43 am
Someone said too much duplication, someone said open it too all comers, someone said different location near the state pen. Well I say we already have the solution. A great facility with multiple ranges exist and is only used part time currently. The Blacks Creek Shooting range is run by the Idaho Fish and Game. http://www.blackscreekrange.com/
Jan 14, 2008, 3:43 pm
All good ideas folks. I think the best option would be shooting lanes under the Krispy Kreme doghnut store out on Eagle Rd. Keep it local. With that many cops out there practicing shooting skills, they could also take care of some of the traffic issues in the area. It would be popular with the kids too.