St. Charles police at home on shooting range

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – Gunshots rang out in rapid succession Thursday morning as St. Charles police officers fired their weapons during training exercises at a facility that few law enforcement agencies have – an outdoor firing range more than 150 yards long.

City police have used the St. Charles Police Department Public Safety Training Facility in the past year, and Tuesday it will be open to other law enforcement agencies for a fee, training coordinator Guy Hoffrage said. As of Wednesday, 21 agencies – mainly from Kane and DuPage counties – were set to use it.

“My phone was ringing off the wall the day we sent out the message,” Hoffrage said.

Surrounded on three sides by berms, the range is west of Peck Road south of Route 38.

The original request for proposals estimated the cost at $3 million, but cooperation from area builders helped reduce the final cost to about $300,000, police spokesman Paul McCurtain said.

According to department documents, construction took about six years. Because dirt for the berms came from builders’ leftovers, the project was delayed by the slowdown of new construction, McCurtain said.

A storage garage and pavilion are planned for the range. Police documents state those items should be funded by a state grant received in the fall.

On Thursday, as several police officers completed an off-duty weapon qualification, a group of about five waited near a tent dozens of feet away as an unrelenting wind whipped across the range.

The group eventually retreated to the tent, and another training exercise began. In this drill – the tactical movement drill – officers moved as they shot and were often yelled at by the range instructors. Sgt. Brad Griffin, a range instructor himself, said the yelling is intended to induce stress, which better simulates reality.

Other drills, including one involving automobile glass, were planned for the afternoon, Griffin said.

Before the range was built, St. Charles police would conduct firearms training in Elburn at the Kane County Sheriff’s Office facility and at a range in Geneva, Griffin said. Some of the ranges they used are no longer operating.

Having a range in St. Charles Township saves the police department time, money and travel, Hoffrage said.

“Elburn has an outdoor range, but it really wasn’t suitable for rifle training,” he said.

At more than 150 yards long, the St. Charles facility can accommodate rifle training and other types of courses. Hoffrage said police can use the range in all types of weather, except for absolute downpours or conditions that compromise visibility and safety.