Hartselle Police Department celebrates new firing range with ribbon-cutting
For the Enquirer
A gathering was held Thursday afternoon for a ribboncutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Hartselle Police Department’s new firing range. This facility is designed to provide officers with a dedicated space to enhance their firearm proficiency, tactical skills and safety practices in a controlled environment.
Located on Industrial Drive, at the rear of the Hartselle-Morgan County Industrial Park, the range is a project the department has needed for years, according to police chief Justin Barley.
Previously, officers had to travel to ranges in other parts of Morgan County, often competing for limited access time. Now, they have a local, readily available site for training exercises, ensuring they stay prepared for the demands of their roles.
The ceremony was opened with remarks from Barley who thanked those gathered for coming to the event, as well as thanking the Hartselle Public Works department for all of their hard work to construct the facility.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to the Public Works department for making this happen and getting it completed in such a timely manner,” Barley said. “We have shot all over in order to get our qualifications and our training done. Something as important as weapons training, we really felt like we needed our own resource for that.” Several sites were considered, Barley said, including the Hartselle landfill, but ultimately the decision was made to create the facility in its final location near Industrial Drive for economical reasons. “Putting it here required less prep work and infrastructure work that would be needed elsewhere; other locations would have not been cost effective, whereas here the cost is a lot less.” The projected budget for this project $20,000 but will end up costing around $17,00, due in large part to the work done by the Public Works department.
Designed with safety and versatility in mind, the range features multiple fir-ing lanes, adaptable targets and lighting that enables both daytime and nighttime training. City leaders expressed pride in creating a facility that meets modern law enforcement standards while allowing for future upgrades and innovations.
Following the ribbon-cutting, attendees were invited to tour the range and meet with officers who would be using the facility.
