Currently, the majority of Daviess County Detention Center staff provides their own handguns while on duty. That may soon no longer be the case, as they’re applying for a grant that would equip DCDC with new handguns for each deputy.
Adminstrative Supervisor Sgt. Keith Stiff said that the current system calls for all staff not on the Special Response Team and command staff to provide their own firearm from a list of industry-approved standards. This often leads to staff having different caliber and gun sizes, which can cause difficulty with training and with supplying ammo.
The grant, provided by the Kentucky Homeland Security Office, would provide a uniform handgun for all DCDC deputies.
Jailer Art Maglinger said they purchased a Glock 35 and will transition to a Glock 19-Generation 5 — a midsize 9 mm gun.
Maglinger said the decision to equip these firearms is twofold: for familiarization and public safety. He noted the guns aren’t just for carrying at the jail, saying deputies are armed whenever they transport inmates to and from DCDC.
“The grant is enough to cover every deputy that we have that’s on hazardous duty or a supervisor,” Maglinger said. “So that will be different now that they are assigned to special response team members and command staff, so this would actually cover all of the deputies.”
Daviess County Fiscal Court approved the grant application on Thursday, but DCDC won’t know if they’ve been awarded the grant until late July.
