The low price is “in recognition of the Sheriff’s and/or Deputy’s many years of good and faithful service to the citizens of Montgomery County,” the draft resolution reads.
“Service weapons are rarely replaced with new models. Most deputies carry the same firearm for their entire career,” said Christine Ton, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, in an email.
A section of the Ohio Revised Code that governs the disposal of unneeded or obsolete government property allows such sales, according to the county.
In order to purchase their service weapon, a retired sheriff or deputy sheriff must have been employed full-time and completed their service honorably, according to the resolution.
If the resolution passes, the Sheriff’s Office will be required to maintain a complete list of deputies who have purchased and retained their service weapons upon retirement and provide an annual report to the Board of County Commissioners by the second Monday in January each year, according to the draft resolution.
Currently, when a deputy retires their firearm is typically traded into a dealer, according to Ton.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office issues various models of Glock handguns to deputy sheriffs. While most models are 9mm some are also .40 caliber. Online retailers sell the models new for between $500 and $750.
Deputies are also allowed to carry a personal firearm if it is on a list approved by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Center, according to Ton.
Firearms are typically only replaced if they are malfunctioning, held for evidence following a shooting incident, or if a model isn’t a good fit for a deputy, according to the sheriff’s office.
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