A severe shortage of practice ammunition used to train Columbus police officers resulted in the department asking the city to make an emergency purchase. The shortage and the need for an emergency purchase reveal a potential logistical concern about resource allocation to the department. 

According to the Columbus city council’s agenda from this evening’s meeting on August 23, 2022, the emergency purchase was needed “because the City contractor for the ammunition is unable to deliver a pending order due to supply chain issues.” 

While it's easy to blame the unnamed contractor for the emergency shortage, it raises the question of why the department’s on-hand ammunition supply was allowed to drop to levels requiring an emergency purchase in the first place.

The emergency purchase was originally approved by city manager Isaiah Hugley on August 4, 2022, and was officially struck into the record during the city council meeting held this evening on August 23, 2022. 

The ammunition approved for purchase totals $26,700 and includes : 10,000 rounds of 9mm handgun ammunition; 5,000 rounds of 12 ga. 00 buckshot shotgun ammunition; and 25,000 rounds of 5.56mm rifle ammunition.

While the required amount of ammunition may seem large, it is likely only the bare minimum required to properly train a force as large as the Columbus Police Department. Practice ammunition is required to ensure officers are properly trained and able to remain proficient with their service weapons in the event they need to use them. 

The shortage of such basic ammunition allotments requiring  an emergency purchase raises questions about whether or not the Columbus Police Department is routinely provided with the resources they need to train and equip their officers. Since police departments require ammunition on a continuous basis, the emergency shortage indicates that a large enough stockpile was not being kept on-hand. 

Whether the problem is internal within the department or external between it and the city remains to be unveiled. Nevertheless, the obviously-unplanned need for an emergency purchase of such a small amount of ammunition reveals a logistical pitfall which rests upon someone’s shoulders; who that someone is remains to be determined.

Resource allocation to the Columbus Police Department has been a topic of concern for many within the Columbus area, as crime in the Fountain City has risen significantly in recent years. Training and equipping a proficient force large enough to patrol the entirety of the city has proved to be a challenge. The state of the Civic Center parking lot serves as an example, as the department has been unable to prevent its continuous destruction nor provide enough officers to catch those responsible in the act. The damaged lot may cost as much as $1.5 million to repave.

Our police officers put their lives on the line each and every day to protect our city so that we can all continue to build within it. We ought to ensure they always have everything they need to do so. Columbus residents can voice their opinions about ensuring our police force remains well-trained and equipped by contacting their city council members through the city’s website here.