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Dec 22, 2008 7:39 pm US/Eastern
Coral Springs Police Is Armed & Ready
CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) ―
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All too often police are encountering criminals with assault rifles such as this AK-47.
AP
With crime on the rise and gun sales soaring, the police department in one South Florida community is making sure that all of their officers are equipped to protect their community.
There will be even more competition to find a spot on the Coral Springs police shooting range these days. That's because every one of their road patrol officers, detectives and even school resource officers, will be carrying a high powered assault rifle.
"The most important thing with these rifles is accuracy," said Sgt. Joe McHugh. "These rifles are extremely accurate up to 300 yards away, so our officers are able to keep a safe distance while keeping a sight on the target.
School Resource Officer Mike Snyder says the rifles allow police to be better prepared.
"It gives us a tool that we can protect, not only the students that are in the schools, but also if we have to go out in the community we can defend the citizens as well as ourselves," said Snyder.
And ironically, Coral Springs police say they have the bad guys to thank for these weapons. They say they were able to pay for them with forfeiture funds.
The rifles aren't cheap; they cost about $900 each. More than 150 Coral Springs officers will now be armed with them. It was a recent case of brazen bank robbers who burst into a Coral Springs bank with assault rifles that reinforced the need for them.
As crime increases police say they need to stay on par with the weapons they encounter on suspects in the streets.
"We are prepared," said McHugh. "Hopefully we don't have to encounter that, but we are prepared and we will do what we have to do to protect our citizens and our officers."
Some other agencies, such as the Aventura Police Department, make assault rifles available to many officers. Other agencies in South Florida allow officers to carry them, but officers must pay for them themselves.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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