The Oktibbeha County Sheriff”s Office is upgrading its firepower.
The department recently netted 23 new fourth-generation .40-caliber Glock pistols without spending a dime by trading 23 first-generation Glock service pistols along with 36 seized guns to Gold N Gun of Grenada.
Now the sheriff”s office hopes to do the same with 23 service rifles accumulated between the late ”70s and mid 2000s. Sgt. Brett Watson of the OCSO appeared before the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors Monday to ask permission to seek bids, and the board obliged.
Chief Deputy George Carrithers said the upgrade has been a long time coming but wasn”t in the county”s budget. Therefore, even trades had to be sought.
Even after the trade with Gold N Gun, which included many seized rifles, Carrithers said the OCSO”s seized gun locker still contains more than 100 pieces.
“The people we”re taking weapons from are basically the ones providing us with new weapons,” he added.
Weapons are seized in the event of a felon in possession of a gun, guns found in conjunction with drug activity and guns used in the commission of a crime. The pistol trade in February was the OCSO”s first. Many weapons confiscated by the OCSO, especially cheaply made guns, are destroyed. The weapons are held until the associated case has finished in court.
The department will now try out several rifles to determine which make and model to trade for. All the rifles will be the same so deputies can share ammunition if necessary.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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