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By Bill Carey
Police1
ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio — A Colorado command chief is under investigation for the unsafe way he handled a rifle at a regional training center.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office Division Chief Mark Mitchell is being investigated after a video showed him pointing his rifle at employees after entering the Flat Rock Regional Training Center in January, CBS Colorado reported.
Sergeant Adam Sherman, with the sheriff’s office professional standards unit, said the incident is under investigation. “Unfortunately, I do not have an expected conclusion date, but the investigation is moving along and should be concluded in the near future,” Sherman told CBS Colorado.
Video shows Mitchell entering the lobby carrying the rifle at his waist. Inside, a deputy appears to point out that the tactical light on the rifle is on. Mitchell looks at the muzzle of the rifle and then stops and points the rifle toward at least one person sitting at the reception desk.
Mitchell then walks to the desk, shakes a person’s hand and moves on.
[RELATED: Confessions of a field training officer]
Training Division Chief John Bungartz issued a memo about long gun safety while inside the training center. “To enhance safety practices and for the safety of fellow law enforcement and staff, effective March 1, 2023, all long guns will be required to be secured in a soft or hard case prior to entering the lobby of FLATROCK Regional Training Center.”
Mitchell has nearly 30 years of experience in law enforcement and was hired for his current position in January. There is no report if the rifle was unloaded or not. There is no comment from officials at the training center and no report if the deputies and persons in the video with Mitchell are also being investigated.
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