Committee recommends giving police chief authority over use of Annapolis firing range

The committee forwarded a favorable recommendation on legislation (0626) to clarify who may approve use of the Annapolis Police Department firing range, affirming that the police chief’s authority covers an acting chief.

Acting Chief Amy Migth told the committee that the department operates under its own policies for range use, that outside agencies submit paperwork and notice, and that the chief or an acting chief routinely signs approvals. “When the chief is away or not available then there is an acting chief who could act instead,” she said, adding that the department had recently accommodated a request from the Capitol Police with mayoral approval while the legislation remained pending.

Committee members asked whether giving the mayor approval authority created operational difficulty; Migth said the mayor often is harder to reach on routine range requests and that department policy would remain the operative standard. Committee members concluded that leaving the title “police chief” in the ordinance would cover an acting chief and voted to recommend the legislation favorably.

The committee record shows a favorable recommendation by voice vote; specific individual votes and tallies were not recorded in the transcript.