Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
PEWAUKEE, Wis. — The city’s police department stockpiled 58,000 rounds of ammunition - more than 10 times the amount the average Lake Country department has on hand - and officials are unsure how such an amount was purchased, at what cost or even where it was purchased.
The department had so much ammunition, the supply exceeded the capacity of the armory and some was stored in the city garage.
The Common Council learned of the stockpile Monday during a report by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.
Several aldermen and some citizens questioned the size of the inventory, which includes ammunition for 9-mm, .40- and .45-caliber handguns and .223 rifles, as well as shotgun shells. City officials inquired how much ammunition the city should have in stock.
“I don’t know why we maintained such a large inventory. They could have had that level for years,” said City Administrator Tammy LaBorde.
Lt. Neil Dussault, the supervisor of the contract deputies for the city, estimated that a department with 26 officers, which the city currently contracts, would on average stock 2,800 rounds, including 1,250 rounds for handguns, 1,000 for rifle and 200 rounds for shotguns.
LaBorde said Tuesday that the 58,000 total reflected what the city had on hand as the city transitioned from its own police department to the Sheriff’s Department effective Jan. 1. The total did not include orders received from Streicher’s Inc. after Jan. 1, which were returned to the company or cancelled, said LaBorde.
Former acting city police chief, Capt. Dan Meister could not be reached for comment. Meister would have been responsible for authorizing the purchase of ammunition in 2009, after former Chief Gary Bach retired under an agreement with the city in December 2008.
Not excessive
Former Pewaukee Police Officer Robert Kraemer, who was not responsible for ordering ammunition, said several factors might have led to more orders and larger inventory.
The department cancelled two training sessions as part of a budget cutting effort when the city discovered a $900,000 budget shortfall last summer, and orders for ammunition may have been placed before the training cuts.
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq also created a higher demand for .40- and .45-caliber ammunition, possibly making it harder and more expensive to obtain, which might have led to the city pre-buying ammunition. Kraemer also cited concerns that the Obama administration’s stance on gun control last year led people to stockpile ammunition, driving up the price and putting pressure on supplies.
Before the department disbanded, itwas transitioning from using several types of handguns to Glocks, which use .40-caliber bullets, Kraemer said.
Additional handgun training was also anticipated for 2010, Kraemer said.
“We weren’t overstocked by any means when we closed up shop,” said Kraemer.
How much is too much?
A survey of Lake Country police departments revealed that the average amount of ammunition carried by departments varies throughout the year, based on training exercises when the bulk of the ammunition is used. Area departments typically use ammunition twice a year and “simunition” at the other sessions, where real ammunition is not used.
It should be noted that all the departments surveyed have fewer officers than the former city department.
At the time it was disbanded, the city had 40 officers, 28 of them on the department and the rest in the lake patrol.
While most area departments jointly trained, the city department trained on its own.
The survey showed that the average department keeps 3,000 to 5,000 rounds on hand, although one department currently has 11,000 rounds because more ammunition was purchased last year to avoid anticipated price increases.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” said one area law enforcement official of the city’s 58,000 rounds.
Dussault confirmed to the council that even the Sheriff’s Department does not keep that amount in inventory.
“So we have more ammunition than you?” quipped Alderman Steve Bierce.
No paper trail
The city budget does not have a separate line item or a budget code to search or track the history of ammunition orders. LaBorde said she does not know who did the ordering, who the city ordered from, how much was ordered or when.
“We would literally have to go through all the invoices,” she said. Lake Country Publications has submitted a request for that information for 2009, under the state public records laws.
LaBorde was able to confirm that the 58,000 rounds were in stock when the department disbanded on Dec. 31, 2009.
In other communities with police departments, ammunition is typically purchased out of the department’s training budget. Under the typical process for puchasing ammunication, a department’s firearms officer will make a request to a superior officer that ammunition be ordered. The superior officer will sign off on the request, the ammunition will be ordered and delivered to the department, and the municipal clerk/treasurer will then write a check to the vendor.
According to the survey of area police departments the annual costs for ammunition range from $2,000 to $4,000. Based on those purchases, the city may have spent an amount in the tens of thousands for ammunition.
LaBorde said the city can no longer be the custodian of the ammunition.
“We transferred custody to the Sheriff’s Department,” said LaBorde, explaining city officials do not have access to the armory room.
“As a city, we cannot have custody of the items; we are not a law enforcement agency,” said LaBorde.
A department in chaos
She did say the armory was almost to capacity during the last few days of the department. During that time, the department had been described as chaotic by both city officials and members of the police department.
“It (the armory) was on tilt. We found ammunition everywhere,” said LaBorde. “We had to go through every office.” LaBorde said in some offices, property and ammunition was lying loose.
Both former police officers and city officials also described a lack of communication between the Police Department and city administration in the months leading up to the department’s disbanding.
La Borde said the city is conducting an internal administrative review of the property room, assisted by the Sheriff’s Department. LaBorde could not comment on the investigation that is part of the transition process. Sheriff’s Department Capt. Karen Ruff, who is leading the investigation, is out of town and could not be reached for comment.
LaBorde said the city is not investigating how or why the inventory stood at 58,000 rounds.
Several alderman and Mayor Scott Klein viewed 58,000 rounds as excessive, though Alderman Roger Hathaway did not. Hathaway and Klein are vying for the mayoral seat in April.
Hathaway favored keeping the ammunition and wants to know how much it is worth. “It is not unusual to buy 500,000 rounds,” said Hathaway, comparing purchasing extra ammunition to buying extra worms to go fishing. The council voted unanimously to determine the value of the ammunition and the legal process to sell a majority of the supply.
Copyright 2010 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel