By Richard Abshire
Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas — You can’t be too careful about lead poisoning.
That’s why Plano Police Chief Greg Rushin shut down his department’s new $2.7 million gun range for air-quality testing when an officer complained of respiratory problems after training there.
“The chief is bending over backwards to make sure our range is safe,” said Officer Rick McDonald, department spokesman and firearms instructor.
Officer McDonald said blood tests on officers who have used the new range the most since it opened in September have yielded normal results.
“We don’t even know if we have a problem,” he said.
The range is on East 14th Street across from the police academy that Plano shares with Richardson and next door to the department’s 16-year-old former shooting range, which could still be used if the new range has to be closed longer for remediation.
Officer McDonald said that the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based architect who designed the structure has been notified of the department’s concerns but that it’s too early to know if any remedial steps will be necessary.
If there is a problem with the range, which combines an open-air design with retaining walls, the fix could range from a simple add-on to extensive retrofitting.
“At a minimum, we might need to put in a box fan,” Officer McDonald said. “Or we might need to add an air recapturing system, something to move the air around.”
Copyright 2008 The Dallas Morning News