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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Memorandum <br />To: Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />Orange County Planning Board <br />From: Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood <br />Date: September 24, 2015 <br />Re: Response to September 8, 2015 Quarterly Public Hearing Questions regarding the <br />Discharge of Firearms <br />When Central Communications relays a call for service associated with the discharge of <br />firearms, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s (“Sheriff’s Office”) standard operating procedure <br />requires the response of the appropriate area deputy. Once the deputy arrives at the property which <br />is the subject of the complaint, he or she will attempt to locate and make contact with any <br />individuals who may be there. If successful, the deputy informs them of the complaint and engages <br />them in conversation to better assess the situation. A criminal history may be conducted of the <br />individuals located at the property and firearms’ serial numbers may be checked. <br />If weapons are being discharged at a shooting range on the property, the deputy will inspect <br />the backstop to determine whether it provides adequate protection for the ammunition being fired. <br />The deputy may suggest improvements be made to the backstop. At the end of the encounter, the <br />deputy thanks the individuals he or she spoke with for their time and clears the property. Often, the <br />deputy’s visit to the property sufficiently addresses the complaint and minimizes the likelihood of <br />future calls for service to the property. <br />Enforcement <br />The Sheriff’s Office is charged with enforcing the Orange County Noise Ordinance, Chapter <br />16, Article 3. The Ordinance prohibits, inter alia, “unreasonably loud and disturbing noise” as <br />defined therein. Maximum permissible standards by receiving land are established for continuous, <br />regular, frequent, or intermittent source of sound produced by any activity. Sound level meters are <br />used to determine compliance with the Ordinance. The discharge of firearms, however, is exempted <br />from the standards but only as permitted by state law and county regulations. Absent an allegation <br /> 112