A sign that finding a local outdoor range for firearms training is becoming more difficult to secure, the North Haven Police department announced on Oct. 7 that its outdoor practicing would take place on private property, located at Sackett Point Road in North Haven.

They plan to use this location one day each month and for five consecutive days each fall, according to a written statement from Deputy Chief of Police Kevin Glenn. All divisions within the department participate in firearms training.

“When we began to use the range, some individuals were surprised and called to inquire about the gun shots,” said Glenn. “Once informed it was police conducting training, they were relieved.”

The Sackett Point Road location was identified as a suitable location for firearms practice as the site is mostly industrial and far from any residential neighborhoods. A signed agreement with the property’s owner allows the North Haven Police to use it with limitations.

“Police firearms training is critically important for police departments all over our state,” said First Selectman Michael Freda. “Here in North Haven, we are at a disadvantage because we not only had to pay significant fees to other facilities for our officers to train at, but we also were unable to consistently get the proper time allocated for our police officers to train. This potentially could put us significantly behind in the required police training protocols.”

The educational and training requirements for police officers in Connecticut are set by the State Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council. Municipal officers are mandated to train using a firearm for a certain number of hours annually.

“This [required training] is not something new, but firearms ranges have been difficult to find, and could be expensive to rent,” said Glenn.

“I applaud them for finding a place to train,” said Romano Amleto, master of the POST Council training range.

The Sackett Point Road property, which is a vacant business, enables the police department to meet the required training protocols with no cost to the town, according to Freda, who also sits on the POST. Council as chief administrative officer, among 20 other members.

Most of the department’s training is not conducted indoors, as “indoor ranges have limitations that are not conducive to realistic training,” adds Glenn.

Although officers use their training every day, one extreme example includes the May 2018 domestic violence incident involving a hostage situation and explosion at a property in North Haven. Members of the North Haven Police Department acted as part of the South Central Regional SWAT team, which is made up of officers from six Connecticut communities. Several officers suffered injuries from the explosion that day.

“The use of this local firearms range on private property is a great benefit to our agency, and town,” said Glenn.

Firearms training facilities are in high demand and hard to establish, according to Amleto. The firearms training facility for state police in Simsbury, which as been in use since the 1940s, has been cited by state police as “outdated, too small for modern training requirements and prone to flooding.”

Last year, the state planned to purchase approximately 113 acres of private land on Lee Road in Griswold, abutted by the Pachaug State Forest and Mystic Rod & Gun Club, Inc.; that plan was dropped in January of this year.

“Look at what is happening with the state,” said Amleto. “They find a place and there is public outcry. There is a duality in our society that says ‘We are not going to give them a place to train,’ but there is an expectation that the police should be perfect with their firearm. Nobody is perfect, but you have to train.”