OBETZ COUNCILMAN LEERY OF NEW AMMO FOR POLICE ;
Chief shelves shells made in Russia while village checks safety
by Kirk D. Richards, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Russian ammunition that the new Obetz police chief purchased to save money could damage officers' pistols and blow through targets, potentially putting civilians at risk, a city councilman says.
In response to Councilman Jim Triplett's concerns, Chief Dana Russell pulled the Silver Bear ammunition out of service and reissued the Gold Dots, which have no steel in their casings.
Steel casings can harm the barrel of a handgun, according to Triplett, a retired police officer who said he is leaning against confirming Russell as chief when his six-month probation as a new hire comes up July 1.
Triplett last week said he checked into Russell's background and found that he failed to disclose charges and lawsuits he faced when he served as an officer in Gahanna and police chief in Nelsonville; Russell said those cases were either dismissed or expunged.
Meanwhile, Russell says the new ammunition is safe and is less expensive at $8 a box than the $20 the department usually pays for ammunition.
Village Administrator Douglas K. Browell said the casing on the Silver Bear ammunition is not pure steel but also contains copper, nickel and tin. That, he said, makes the casing soft enough for the .40-caliber pistols issued to the village force.
Browell also said the core of the bullet is lead, meaning that the projectile would be more likely to rest in the target, not go through it.
The administrator said he disagrees with the section in the Heckler & Koch manual that recommends against the use of any "foreign" ammunition in the handguns Obetz police use.
Browell added that some dealers make claims to compel customers to buy more expensive ammunition.
Shawn Herman, a law-enforcement sales representative for Vance's Shooters Supplies, confirmed that major dealers advise against Silver Bear ammunition.
"The shell casing is as hard as the gun, and they rub against each other," Herman said. "It accelerates wear on the gun."
Experts in other Franklin County departments were unaware of Silver Bears.
"I know there's a growing Russian industry supplying inexpensive ammo," said Gahanna Police Sgt. Pat Millenbaugh, who is a firearms instructor. But he could not vouch for its reliability.
Browell said ballistics tests were conducted and that the Silver Bears did not penetrate protective vests when shot from a pistol.
"We're going to gather the facts and get to the bottom of it," Browell said. "We have zero problem with anybody raising a question."
Triplett said he has one: "If they're so great, why is no other police department carrying them?"
