Page 45 - Ranger Manual 2017_Neat

Ammunition

Rangers are issued BPD-authorized duty ammunition with the following considerations:
• Rangers are issued a specific number of rounds for duty use. Unfired rounds are
expended annually during training;
• Rangers may request the replacement of ammunition utilized in the course of duty from
supervisors, lead rangers, or the firearms instructor;
• Rangers must maintain department-issued ammunition in authorized handguns and
magazines. The remaining ammunition should be stored in an accessible location
in patrol trucks or in their respective armory lockers; and
• Rangers may not under any circumstances carry duty ammunition in excess of what is
provided while on duty.

Wildlife Destruction

Rangers must immediately report the discharge of weapons to their primary dispatch channel, notify
supervisors, and complete an incident report by the end of their shift. In addition, rangers are issued
frangible ammunition specifically for destroying injured and incapacitated wildlife with the
following understanding:
• Frangible ammunition reduces the potential for over-penetration and lowers the ricochet
risk, but it does not allow rangers to attempt to destroy wildlife without carefully considering
their target and beyond;
• Frangible ammunition is lead-free and reduces the secondary toxic exposure risk to
scavengers that feed on destroyed animal carcasses;
• At no time will rangers carry frangible ammunition in their approved weapons or magazines
while on duty for any reason other than a call for wildlife destruction or a prescribed
training;
• Rangers must only deploy frangible ammunition after arriving at the scene of a wildlife call
and after making a decision that an animal can be destroyed safely using a firearm;
• Care should be taken to remove duty ammunition from weapons and load only the
appropriate caliber frangible ammunition into a weapon;
• After destroying an animal, rangers must remove any remaining frangible ammunition from
their weapons then load and charge their weapons with department-issued duty ammunition
prior to going back into service after the call;

• Universal gun safety rules must be strictly followed while transitioning from frangible to
duty ammunition. Rangers must also take reasonable care and discretion to shield the public
from view when handling weapons while on duty;

• Rangers must request replacement frangible ammo from supervisors, lead rangers, or the
OSMP Department firearms instructor; and
• See Chapter 13 “Wildlife Response” for additional information regarding the OSMP
Department’s wildlife management and destruction policy.

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