Firearms training and certifications for San Diego police officers just got more expensive. On Tuesday, San Diego’s City Council voted to modify its ongoing contract with a private gun range in Poway, allowing as much as $4.1 million to be spent on a five-year contract dating back to 2022.
SDPD has been using that range since its own outdoor range was shuttered that same year. It operated for decades on Federal Boulevard, sandwiched between the Mount Hope and Fairmount Park neighborhoods.
NBC 7 Investigates has been covering the lead contamination issue for years. At least a dozen officers filed workers’ compensation claims for elevated levels of lead in their blood. There were also concerns of lead dust exposure to the nearby families, based on an environmental study from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
Impacts to the community have been repeatedly disputed by the City of San Diego. Last year, it agreed to a $700,000 no-fault settlement with the APCD over contamination at the range…