News reports indicate that the board voted last night to allow for the weapons to be used in emergency situations. Current officers on the force expressed their safety concerns to the board in recent months, telling them that the district is too large for the weaponry they are carrying, and that safety was a huge concern. All officers will have to pass a gun weapons safety course in order to carry the weapons. District media relations director Paula Foreman says that the officers are trained and certified to carry and use the rifles. The weapons will be used only when deemed necessary. Apparently, there was very little or no public resistance to the policy being approved.
