Salem Police Chief Kyle Ambuehl received permission from the city council Monday night to sell 12 shotguns and 22 revolvers that have been in storage at the department longer than the 20 plus years he’s been on the force.
Ambuehl is uncertain where the guns came from, but says none have been reported as stolen or involved in a crime. A local gun dealer has made a bid to purchase the weapons since the department cannot sell them outright. Ambuehl says he will utilize the $1,500 to $2,000 in proceeds to enhance the weapons they are currently using.
“Sights, flashlights and gun lights for our rifles and those sorts of things is what we are going to try and do. And standardize putting the same type of things on all of them.”
The council was also introduced to the city’s new telecommunications officer Emma Cavins. Cavins graduated from Salem Community High School last May. She had an interest in dispatching and being able to give back to the community and help others in any way possible. Cavins says so far the training has gone well and she really likes it.
Ambuehl says Cavins is the sixth telecommunicator for the department which will allow them to have two on duty most hours to handle the volume of calls the department is receiving.
The council approved Marilyn Lewis for an opening on the Bryan Bennett Library Board.
The council agreed to write off $14,082 in utility accounts more than seven years old, including $3,396 written off from deceased customers who left no estate.
The council approved the purchase of a new pump from Hydro-Kinetics at a cost of $9,285 to replace one that has failed in the Goose Creek sewer lift station on West Main Street.
The council also approved a bill for $44,160 from JK Trotter for emergency repairs to an underground valve at the Salem Water Treatment Plant. The cost is $9,160 more than anticipated due to extra work uncovered during the repair process.
