FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :   Tuesday, July 17, 2012    
CONTACT:    Sara Rabern,  (605) 773-3215 

 
Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office to Improve Ellis Firearms Range with Help from Drug Control Fund

PIERRE, S.D.  – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded $40,000 for improvements to the Ellis Firearms Range in Minnehaha County. The money was awarded out of the Drug Control Fund. The award will assist local law enforcement in drug control and apprehension purposes.  
The improvements to the firearms range will include the addition of a 1008 square foot building to be used for an onsite training facility. The building will be constructed at the Mike Durfee State Prison by inmates in the Construction Technology program and transported to Minnehaha County and is expected to be operational in the fall of 2012. In addition, the Department of Correction inmates will assist with concrete work and fence installation at the range.  The Ellis Firearms Range has over 40 years old worth of wear and tear and these much needed improvement will provide a safer range.
“It is critically important for law enforcement officers to have continual firearms training,” said Jackley.  “The Ellis Range improvement project puts to good use drug control funds and inmate resources for public safety.”

“The Sheriff’s Office range near Ellis is used as a firearms training center for nearly every state, local and federal law enforcement agency serving the Sioux Falls area,” said Sheriff Mike Milstead. “Being able to improve this facility with money seized from drug dealers makes perfect sense, and I appreciate the Attorney General’s decision to allocate those funds to support this project.”

If you have any additional questions contact Sara Rabern at (605)773-3215.

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