By Pierre Comtois
The Lowell Sun
GROTON, Mass. — Selectmen voted unanimously last night to close a controversial police shooting range for the next two weeks.
The move came after a public hearing attended by several residents living near the shooting range who have complained about excessive noise and the sounds of tramping feet and rhythmic chanting.
The shooting range is on Department of Public Works land along Cow Pond Brook Road.
Some neighbors say the situation has gotten out of hand, with law-enforcement agencies from as far away as Lowell using the range to practice everything from automatic weapons to grenades.
After accusing Police Chief Donald Palma of acting too slowly, residents worked up a petition late last year requesting that selectmen take action.
As a result, Palma acknowledged at a public hearing last fall that there was a noise issue at the range and that other departments, such as those in Lowell and Westford as well as the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department, were allowed to use the range on a quid-pro-quo basis.
Palma disputed many of the claims, including the alleged use of automatic weapons and stun grenades.
The chief also insisted that curtailing use of the range by other departments would have been “detrimental” to the town. He said no police department could do everything by itself and that Groton relies on backup, detective services and funding provided by other communities in exchange for use of the gun range.
Those concerns were mostly waived last night, as both selectmen and residents agreed in principle that only the Groton Police Department should be using the range, That, in effect, means shooting would occur only a few times a year.
Board Chairman Stuart Schulman said use of the range by other agencies has been severely curtailed since last fall, as the Lowell Police Department and Academy, representing 190 officers and 40-50 students, have been eliminated from the roster. Also removed was the Westford Police Department.
Still approved for the range are SWAT team officers from the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office and the IRS.
Schulman also reported that discussions have begun to explore alternatives to the shooting range, including possible construction of an indoor facility.
“But this is not the final say on the matter,” Schulman said. “We’ll continue to try and find a better way.”
Resident Dan Murdock, of Hoyts Wharf Road, said he doesn’t feel “there’s any need to have anybody else down there but the Groton Police Department.” He suggested that in the meantime, the town should change the locks at the range to prevent unauthorized use and conduct a safety audit of the area.
Other residents raised concerns about negative effects on property values, cadence marching through their neighborhoods, lack of signage and questions about whether the range was ever officially established by the town.
Amid calls from residents to simply close down the range, Selectman Peter Cunningham reminded them that the board had a responsibility to set public policy for the whole community and not just their neighborhood.
“We’re suggesting a severe reduction down there so we’re not tone-deaf to the public,” Cunningham said.
While Selectman Joshua Degen suggested closing the shooting range for two months, selectmen instead voted to shut it down for two weeks pending a meeting with Palma on April 11.
In the meantime, the board charged Town Manager Mark Haddad to look into such issues as a safety audit of the range, setting a time to revisit the issue beyond the meeting with Palma to gauge progress, and looking into having the SWAT team use a portable practice trailer operated by the state.
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