CHICKASHA — The Police Department will soon be armed with new weapons.
The City Council voted to spend $91,400 to buy new rifles, pistols and stun guns for officers.
The department will acquire 25 new .223-caliber semi-automatic AR-15 platform patrol rifles from Ares State Armory, a “Sons of Liberty” distributor. The $78,625 acquisition provides a lifetime warranty on the weapons and includes sights, optics, slings and suppressors, city documents show.
Chickasha Police Department patrol rifles are more than 20 years old and have “numerous functional problems, creating various safety issues,” Chief Goebel Music reported. The Lawton arms dealer has agreed to accept the department’s outdated rifles and associated equipment in trade.
The council also authorized the department to buy 10 new 9mm Glock Model 47 pistols with night sights. The guns will be purchased from H&H Shooting Sports in Oklahoma City via a state contract at a reduced cost of $4,810.
In addition, the council gave Music permission to buy five more Tasers “to provide newer, more reliable equipment in the field for our officers.” The department will pay Axon Enterprise of Scottsdale, Arizona, $7,962 for the weapons.
In a related matter, the department was authorized to receive free publications from LAW Publications that are focused on educating “all ages about the dangers of alcohol and fentanyl, gang involvement, domestic violence” and various other safety issues. The materials will be distributed to schools and throughout the community, records indicate.