Post by Blue Trumpet on Dec 22, 2008 20:28:18 GMT -5
Actor's $100K donation to benefit Phoenix officers
by Michael Ferraresi - Dec. 22, 2008 05:21 PM
The Arizona Republic
An unexpected Christmas donation from actor David Spade is expected to provide Phoenix police with enough money to buy an additional 50 semi-automatic rifles for patrol officers in 2009.
The $100,000 gift announced Monday means as many as 300 officers could soon be armed with Bushmaster AR-15s, even in light of recent debates between police and union officials about the availability of the high-powered weapons during the city's ongoing budget strife.
Advocates said the need to arm more patrol officers with rifles has only grown since union officials proposed in 2006 that officers should be allowed to buy their rifles if the city is unable to provide them. Police leaders met recently on the issue but have yet to expand the self-purchase policy beyond handguns and shotguns.
Spade, a Scottsdale Saguaro High School graduate, provided the money to a non-profit police foundation after seeing a jarring television news report about gun violence. Police leaders said Spade told them he was inspired to help keep the community safe.
The comic-turned-movie star provided the check to Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris early Monday but did not appear at the press conference. The Phoenix Police Foundation expects to use the $100,000 on rifles.
Spade also donated $25,000 last year after the line of duty death of Phoenix Officer Nick Erfle, an incident where tactical officers used an AR-15 to fatally shoot at the man suspected of his slaying, who was holding a hostage at gunpoint.
"I'm thankful someone like David Spade would remember his hometown and help increase the safety of officers on the street," said Harris, who joined Mayor Phil Gordon and other leaders Monday to accept Spade's check at Desert Horizon Precinct in northeast Phoenix.
Police SWAT and tactical response officers are most commonly trained to use assault rifles. However, patrol officers are often the first to encounter criminals with heavy weaponry, police say.
Gordon said Spade's gift was welcome during the difficult economic times, and that it would help the city send a message to criminals, "that our officers shouldn't be the ones they go after."
More than 120 Phoenix patrol officers currently have access to rifles. More than 100 more have been ordered or could be shifted to patrol from other units.
Mark Spencer, president for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said more officers who apply to use rifles could be trained in the next six months.
www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/12/22/20081222rifles1223.html
by Michael Ferraresi - Dec. 22, 2008 05:21 PM
The Arizona Republic
An unexpected Christmas donation from actor David Spade is expected to provide Phoenix police with enough money to buy an additional 50 semi-automatic rifles for patrol officers in 2009.
The $100,000 gift announced Monday means as many as 300 officers could soon be armed with Bushmaster AR-15s, even in light of recent debates between police and union officials about the availability of the high-powered weapons during the city's ongoing budget strife.
Advocates said the need to arm more patrol officers with rifles has only grown since union officials proposed in 2006 that officers should be allowed to buy their rifles if the city is unable to provide them. Police leaders met recently on the issue but have yet to expand the self-purchase policy beyond handguns and shotguns.
Spade, a Scottsdale Saguaro High School graduate, provided the money to a non-profit police foundation after seeing a jarring television news report about gun violence. Police leaders said Spade told them he was inspired to help keep the community safe.
The comic-turned-movie star provided the check to Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris early Monday but did not appear at the press conference. The Phoenix Police Foundation expects to use the $100,000 on rifles.
Spade also donated $25,000 last year after the line of duty death of Phoenix Officer Nick Erfle, an incident where tactical officers used an AR-15 to fatally shoot at the man suspected of his slaying, who was holding a hostage at gunpoint.
"I'm thankful someone like David Spade would remember his hometown and help increase the safety of officers on the street," said Harris, who joined Mayor Phil Gordon and other leaders Monday to accept Spade's check at Desert Horizon Precinct in northeast Phoenix.
Police SWAT and tactical response officers are most commonly trained to use assault rifles. However, patrol officers are often the first to encounter criminals with heavy weaponry, police say.
Gordon said Spade's gift was welcome during the difficult economic times, and that it would help the city send a message to criminals, "that our officers shouldn't be the ones they go after."
More than 120 Phoenix patrol officers currently have access to rifles. More than 100 more have been ordered or could be shifted to patrol from other units.
Mark Spencer, president for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said more officers who apply to use rifles could be trained in the next six months.
www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/12/22/20081222rifles1223.html
