Rolling Meadows shooting range closed for repairs

The Rolling Meadows police shooting range has been closed since last month for repairs, but officers hope that with much needed work set to begin this week, they’ll be practicing again before the end of November.

Originally built in 1970, the shooting range located in the basement of city hall has had only minor renovations since the late 1980s.

A portion of the ductwork and piping for the range has corroded and collapsed due to age, making the facility unusable for officers, said Cmdr. Bill Arneson

The department’s roughly 50 officers regularly use the shooting range for weapons training, testing and skills assessments, Arneson said.

“We can’t mess up on the street with firearm usage,” he said. “There may not be a next time to fix any mistakes.”

The city council this month approved a $13,760 bid from Neri Brothers Construction in Roselle to do the duct work. It’s expected to be complete within a few weeks, but that won’t put an end to the range’s need for upgrades.

As police weaponry has changed over the years and departments shift from using shotguns to more militarylike rifles, the current backstop wall in the range is out of date, Arneson said. Officers can’t practice firing their rifles into the current backstop because the bullets would bend the steel wall. A new backstop may cost near $60,000, he said.

Those kinds of figures have some city council members suggesting closing the range for good and having officers go to another city for practice. Alderman Mike Cannon said renting time at the Palatine Police Department may be an option.

“As time goes on all of us suburbs as groups or regions have to look at ways to consolidate costs by consolidating some services just to save dollars,” Cannon said. “We all can’t do everything independently anymore and survive.”

“The downside of that is obviously we would have to pay overtime and they would have to travel over there,” he added.

Arneson said he is against the idea of using another range, saying it would. be inconvenient and waste officers’ time. “That is just not going to work,” he said.

Arneson said he understands that the police department may not be getting a state-of-the-art shooting range anytime soon. But hopes to find solutions allowing the department to afford basic maintenance and upkeep.