Akin Vows to Search for Different Training Facility Site

Sheriff Will Akin announced at Tuesday's County Planning and Zoning Meeting that he will search for other locations for a training facility and shooting range. The Sheriff’s Office was looking to build on the site of a closed landfill outside Missouri City.

Akin said during the meeting that the Sheriff’s Office had been looking for a site to build the facility for years so deputies could be trained at the highest-possible standard. He said the proposed location the best site he had seen.

People living near the proposed site spoke out at the Planning and Zoning Meeting. Many of them cited that they moved to that location for the peace and quiet. Others talked about how a gun range would affect people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

After listening to testimony of residents, Akin announced that he would continue to find a better location. He cited the women who utilize a maternity home in the immediate area, as well as the veterans who go there as the reason for the change.

“The arguments tonight that I’ve heard sounded pretty compelling to me,” said Akin. “And that’s what has motivated me to continue to look for another site. Because if there is a better option to select, I want it to be that option.”

Although residents don’t want the facility to be close to their homes, they still highly support the Sheriff’s Office having its own training facility. Right now deputies train at locations that are outside the county and state.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story