Sheriff’s Office firearms training center is about to become a reality

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners work session brought welcome news to Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman who has struggled for two years to acquire funding for a badly-needed sheriff’s office firearm training facility.

Commissioners voted unanimously to spend $350,000 from the county’s reserve funds to help complete the project.

The firearm training facility comes with hefty price tag of about $926,000 but Freeman explained, “We were able to secure some significant cost savings. Not only were we able to get the land donated to the county but we were able to secure probably a couple of hundred thousand dollars in rough land grading done at no cost. That was done by Advanced Disposal. That was very much appreciated.”

Still, there was a shortfall of about $400,000. Freeman said he can use about $100,000 from the sheriff’s asset forfeiture fund to pay for the targeting systems.

The project is expected to save the county $100,000 annually in overtime and travel expense.

“We will recoup our money and it will allow us to be a better-trained agency.”