HOUMA, LA (AP) — Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis hopes to get most of the money he needs to buy new guns for the department by selling the old ones.
The current .40-caliber Glock 22 pistols are about 15 years old, and a few have been breaking, he told The Courier’s Bridget Mire.
"It's going to help with officer and public safety because we don't want something to malfunction," he said.
He said he's getting quotes from law enforcement distributors. He hopes to get $250 to $300 per gun, paying about $400 each for new Glocks.
Officers interested in keeping their pistols may buy them from the distributor before they go on sale to the public, but would have to use the new weapons on duty, Duplantis said.
Sgt. Cory Johnson, one of three Houma Police officers trained to work on Glocks, said he's only had to repair two or three. The guns were undamaged when officers responded to flooded neighborhoods, he said.
"They're very durable guns, so the amount you spend is not bad at all," he said. "It's actually very reasonable."
Still, he said, the weapons are showing their age. He estimated that refurbishing them would include changing out the springs and cost $50 to $60 each, whereas the department would pay an extra $100 to $150 per gun to replace them.
Johnson said the distributor would buy the Glocks "as is" and the department would inspect and test fire the new weapons before issuing them to officers.
He said he plans to buy his own gun once the department finds a distributor.
"If I retire, I'd like to have my badge, my pistol," he said. "It's been part of my uniform, so I would like to have it back."
