News

Low on ammo, sheriff says; cites military needs

Posted March 04, 2008 10:00 pm

John Reynolds

It's not only personnel that local law enforcement has lost to the war effort in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson warned a county board committee Tuesday that his office is running low on ammunition, too, partly due to the needs of the military.

The sheriff's office still hasn't received orders it placed last year through a state purchasing plan, and as a result, is keeping a close eye on its supply.

"We really have to watch the ammunition because the price is skyrocketing, and the quantities are limited," Williamson said. "Ammunition is one of our basic tools. It's like a carpenter and nails. If a carpenter doesn't have nails to build a house, then they're out of business. This is one of the tools we have to have."

Williamson, speaking to members of the jail committee, said one reason for the shortage is that ammunition manufacturers are concentrating on orders for the military. As a result, there simple aren't enough bullets available for law enforcement.

Another problem is that lead and copper, two of the raw materials used in the production of ammunition, are in high demand overseas.

"Copper and lead are going to industrialized countries like China and India. They are sucking up huge quantities of these raw materials," Williamson said.

County deputies carry about 48 rounds of ammunition while on patrol. That includes a clip of ammo inside their handgun and two extra clips. The standard-issue sidearm for Sangamon County deputies is a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic.

Exactly how many rounds the county still has on the shelf was not available Tuesday, but the sheriff said it's not enough.

"If we had a dire emergency, we could run out of ammunition. Our supplies are that limited," he said, adding that he hopes the back orders can be filled soon, because it would be much more expensive to purchase the ammunition from other sources.

A recent order for 2,500 40-caliber rounds through the state purchasing plan cost $1,166, which averages out to about 46 1/2 cents per round. Another 2,500 order for 9mm ammunition cost $329, which averages to about 13 cents per round.

Currently, sporting goods stores are charging about $25 for a box of 20 .40-caliber rounds, which averages out to $1.25 per round. A box of 9mm rounds costs about $20.

Williamson did not ask for any extra money Tuesday. He said he simply wanted to inform the board of the situation.

Despite the shortage, all Sangamon County deputies have qualified with their weapons during shooting drills, according to the sheriff's office.

Cmdr. Mark Bridges of the Springfield Police Department said that while he is aware of the supply problem, so far, the city is not running low on ammo.

The standard-issue sidearm for city officers is a semi-automatic, .357-caliber Sig Sauer. Later this year, possibly in April, officers will be switching to an updated Sig Sauer .357 model, which means they will have to be trained on the new weapon.

John Reynolds can be reached at (217) 788-1524.

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