This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Hometown Training Pays off for Beaumont Police

Since opening nine months ago, The Beaumont Shooting Range has provided gun training that's close to home for local police officers.

Submitted by the City of Beaumont

Beaumont Police officers no longer have to travel outside the city for firearms training.

Since the opening nine months ago of The Beaumont Indoor Shooting Range, they can now train at a shooting range in the city where they work.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The Beaumont Police Department and the Beaumont Indoor Shooting Range are working together to ensure that our city has well-trained police officers protecting the community,” said Police Chief Frank Coe.

In the past, police officers were gone from the city for up to three hours during firearms training at the Ben Clark Training Center in Riverside. Other officers were often called in to work overtime to patrol the city during their absence. Now, Beaumont saves thousands of dollars annually in training costs by having a local range.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Since they’re training locally, officers on duty can respond immediately to emergency calls during their regular shifts. The indoor shooting range is centrally located along 4th Street in the Beaumont Industrial Park.

Public safety

The Beaumont Police Department’s officers regularly train at the range with rifles and handguns to maintain their firearms proficiency. The state-wide Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) recommends regular certification for officers and the weapons they carry.

As part of an agreement between Beaumont and the range, the city prepaid $81,000 to the Beaumont Indoor Shooting Range for the installation of a state-of-the-art “bullet trap,” or lead collection system. The system, which is made of industrial grade tire rubber, absorbs the bullets and prevents any ricocheting. This was a requirement for police use. Under the agreement, our officers receive $81,000 worth of regular monthly use of the range without interfering with other customers.

Friend of law enforcement

Casey Seewoster owns the Beaumont Indoor Shooting Range and enjoys working closely with local police.

“I am honored to play a part in keeping our community safe by providing a quality facility for law enforcement,” he said.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.