CARIBOU, Maine — Officers of the Caribou Police Department have utilized a newly created shooting range on the Grimes Road for their training this year, but residents of the surrounding area submitted a petition to the Caribou City Council on Monday to have the range shut down.
“On behalf of numerous residents in close proximity to the range, I’d like you to know the negative effects the range has on us both in the form of nuisance noise and safety concerns,” said Caribou resident Jamie Bell, speaking during the public comments portion of the regularly-scheduled council meeting. Bell commented that the range is in close proximity to residences including his own property, which is approximately three-fourths of a mile downrange from where the law enforcement personnel practice shooting.
Addressing the council, Bell handed the council photos of the site and described that the range lacks fencing and signage to both inform passersby of the property’s use and deter illegal use of the range. He vocalized concerned that safety protocols were not being followed and stated that multiple agencies were using the site, though city officials did clarify that only Caribou police officers have been using the range.
Bell also said that there didn’t seem to be established times for using the range or adequate protective measures to prevent mishaps.
“No side containments or baffles are in place to ensure the safety of residents in the event that a ricochet would occur, and since they’re shooting off of a concrete slab so far as I can tell, the potential of the ricochet increases because of it.”
(Caribou Police Chief Mike Gahagan explained on Tuesday afternoon that the officers stand on concrete while they shoot targets.)
Bell told the council before he submitted a petition to have the range shut down as soon as possible.
Caribou Mayor Gary Aiken told Bell that he brought up some very good points that need to be addressed, and Bell expressed his understanding that law enforcement personnel needed a safe and secure place to train and qualify with their weapons.
“I understand that money to improve the safety issues and noise produced from the current range is not easy to come by, but there must be an established range somewhere in the local community that they could use that eliminates the imposed negative changes in the area of the current range on the Grimes Road.”
Located at approximately 366 Grimes Road, the site has a 19-foot dirt berm that’s followed by increased elevation that rises about 40 feet.
Behind the range is an active farm, and city officials informed Bell that the city has an agreement with the farmer working the field.
Councilor Kenneth Murchison expressed that he has no problem with people who shoot safely, “but this really offers no buffer for the unforeseen,” he said. “If you’re shooting at banks, fine, but if you have a discharge at a 30 degree angle, you get a mile down range.”
City Manager Austin Bleess explained that the trajectories indicate the unlikelihood of that theoretical incident, but Murchison countered that a discharge could occur behind the shooter or to the side.
Murchison and David Martin discussed the possibility of relocating the range to the city’s gravel pit, but Mayor Aiken stressed his opinion that the issue would not be resolved that night.
“I think we take it under advisement, turn it over to city manager and have the city manager come back with some recommendations as to what we can do,” Aiken said. He also questioned whether or not the council was qualified to make expert decisions on the subject. “I would prefer to leave it to the chief of police and administration to make the decision, and then we’ll agree or disagree to that,” he added.
The council agreed to have city officials come up with possible solutions and alternate sites for the council to discuss at a later date. On Tuesday, Gahagan assured that measures would be taken this week to increase the safety and security of the site.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Caribou City Council is slated for Monday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the councilors’ chambers.
