I saw an article from Washington state this evening that said that Spokane PD outfitted their officers with suppressors for their duty rifles.
And in typical fashion, a lot of people were complaining that police officers were using them.
The article said they even had to inform city council that they didn't actually silence the report of a firearm, just slightly reduced the sound, similar to how a muffler on a car works.
Just read it.
I swear, I think it's like people actually want to be stupid.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/oct/07/spokane-police-will-add-suppressors-to-rifles-citi/#/0
Some of the excerpts:
“It was expressed to us the intent of using the suppressor was only to protect the officers and the public, not to make others unaware of the weapon,” said Councilwoman Candace Mumm.
Roger Clark, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant who’s been hired by Jones’ family to provide expert testimony at trial on police tactics, defended law enforcement’s use of suppressors to enable communication between officers during an event
Outfitting the department’s 181 service rifles with suppressors will protect the city from the legal costs of worker’s compensation claims filed by officers, as well as from potential lawsuits filed by bystanders whose ears are exposed to firearm blasts. The sound of a fired shot can be louder than the takeoff of jet engines, the department says.
The $115,000 contract raised some eyebrows on the Spokane City Council, who signed off on the purchase last month after they say police satisfied concerns the devices would soften, not silence, a rifle’s report.
I had a couple citizens contact me about why the police are using suppressed rifles,” City Council President Ben Stuckart said.
The suppressors the department purchased, manufactured by Boise-based firm Gemtech, reduce the noise level to 134 decibels, which is still louder than the whir of a chain saw. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies any exposure to sound greater than 140 decibels as creating a risk for irreparable hearing damage.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said his agency had looked into purchasing the devices for their firearms, but hasn’t moved forward not only due to costs but also how citizens might react to their use.
“Those are serious concerns.
There’s some misunderstanding about the effectiveness of suppressors, largely due to depictions in movies and TV shows where the devices hush lethal blasts to a whisper, said Boothe, of the police department.
“There’s this Hollywood mystique,” Boothe said.
And in typical fashion, a lot of people were complaining that police officers were using them.
The article said they even had to inform city council that they didn't actually silence the report of a firearm, just slightly reduced the sound, similar to how a muffler on a car works.
Just read it.
I swear, I think it's like people actually want to be stupid.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/oct/07/spokane-police-will-add-suppressors-to-rifles-citi/#/0
Some of the excerpts:
“It was expressed to us the intent of using the suppressor was only to protect the officers and the public, not to make others unaware of the weapon,” said Councilwoman Candace Mumm.
Roger Clark, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant who’s been hired by Jones’ family to provide expert testimony at trial on police tactics, defended law enforcement’s use of suppressors to enable communication between officers during an event
Outfitting the department’s 181 service rifles with suppressors will protect the city from the legal costs of worker’s compensation claims filed by officers, as well as from potential lawsuits filed by bystanders whose ears are exposed to firearm blasts. The sound of a fired shot can be louder than the takeoff of jet engines, the department says.
The $115,000 contract raised some eyebrows on the Spokane City Council, who signed off on the purchase last month after they say police satisfied concerns the devices would soften, not silence, a rifle’s report.
I had a couple citizens contact me about why the police are using suppressed rifles,” City Council President Ben Stuckart said.
The suppressors the department purchased, manufactured by Boise-based firm Gemtech, reduce the noise level to 134 decibels, which is still louder than the whir of a chain saw. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies any exposure to sound greater than 140 decibels as creating a risk for irreparable hearing damage.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said his agency had looked into purchasing the devices for their firearms, but hasn’t moved forward not only due to costs but also how citizens might react to their use.
“Those are serious concerns.
There’s some misunderstanding about the effectiveness of suppressors, largely due to depictions in movies and TV shows where the devices hush lethal blasts to a whisper, said Boothe, of the police department.
“There’s this Hollywood mystique,” Boothe said.