Maintenance of Police Academy Firearms
Board of Trustees Policy: 5.7
Date: March 2022
Supersedes: December 2019, September 2009, January 2004
Purpose
Montgomery County Community College (“College”) is committed to maintaining the inventory of weapons utilized in the Municipal Police Academy, along with ammunition for those weapons, in a condition of the utmost possible security. A strict system of control over the weapons and ammunition is paramount in the achievement of the security necessary to prevent loss, misuse and/or theft.
Policy
It is the policy of Montgomery County Community College to provide for the highest possible level of security of the weapons and ammunition utilized for the Municipal Police Academy by instituting and maintaining a system of control that provides for instructor education and direct supervision. It also includes close collaboration with the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, scheduled examinations of the entire inventory of weapons and ammunition, direct oversight of all weapon and ammunition issuances and documentation of all weapon and/or ammunition sales, transfers, maintenance, storage, or retrieval.
Procedures
A. Firearms Program
The College has entered into an agreement with the County of Montgomery (“County”) to enable the use by the College of the County’s Tactical Response Training Center, located at the Public Safety Training Center, 1175 Conshohocken Rd. in Plymouth Township, (“the County Facility”) for the purpose of firearms training for Police Academy cadets.
The College shall have the sole responsibility for all aspects of the Municipal Police Academy training program, including all necessary approvals and accreditations for instructional personnel to ensure all courses taught conform with the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer’s Education and Training Commission (“MPOETC”) training standards.
B. Firearms & Ammunition Storage
This agreement also grants the College the right to store firearms and ammunition in a limited-access storage area in the County Facility, within two safes owned by the College and maintained in a secure, keypad access structure on the grounds of the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Campus (an off-campus location).
Access to the storage room is gained with a secure keypad, and is limited to the Director of the Police Academy, the designated lead firearms instructor, as well as two County employees. The two County employees having access will be designated by the Montgomery County Deputy Director of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Training. Access to the safes via combinations is limited to the Director of the Police Academy, the Director of Campus Safety, and the designated lead firearms instructor.
C. Firearms and Ammunition Removal
Firearms are only removed from the safes by the Director of the Police Academy and/or his designated lead firearms instructor when required for firearms training, inventories or to facilitate necessary repairs.
Upon completion of the class-training schedule, the designated lead firearms instructor will return all firearms to the safes.
Weapons being traded or otherwise disposed of, as in cases where they are no longer serviceable, will be removed from the safes by the Director of the Police Academy, in compliance with all College policies regarding disposal of College-owned property and all state and federal statutes regarding the transfer/disposal of firearms.
D. Inventory
The Director of the Police Academy and authorized personnel of the county on a quarterly basis will jointly perform a physical inventory of all firearms and ammunition. The College will approve all forms for inventory and said forms will be kept on file at the police academy. A copy of the inventory will be transmitted to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Vice President of Administrative Services. Additionally, an ammunition inventory will be performed monthly and reported to the College's Business Office.