Lyon County’s Law Enforcement Shooting Range is now in use.
Deputies were involved in qualification training at 2985 West South on Wednesday, two weeks after the county officially took ownership of the outdoor facility. Sheriff Jeff Cope tells KVOE News it’s a better facility than the longstanding range further west.along South Avenue.
Much has been said about the total facility costs, and Cope tells KVOE News a lot of the social media chatter has put costs well above the actual number — which he says was around $1.2 million strictly for the facility, not including $500,000 serving as dirt work and other preparations for the new Emergency Communications Center set for construction to begin this summer. Cope says $250,000 for the shooting range was offset by federal funding announced by US Senator Jerry Moran in 2024. Despite the negative conversations, Cope says the shooting range is a benefit to law enforcement, regardless of the agency, and to Lyon County as a whole.
Cope says the facility has earned letters of support of the Emporia Police Department and neighboring law enforcement agencies. He anticipates training opportunities coming soon for the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol and Beverage Control and different K-9 units.
Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including a YouTube Short from the shooting range.
