Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims told Action News the department just ordered some ammunition for its SWAT team and was told the order would take six months. Still, the department said it has adequate supplies to get them through the year. "We went through this once before. We're kind of prepared for this. We ordered in bulk and in advance. So we're fine for now, for both training and duty," said spokesperson Chris Curtice.
Across the Central Valley, law enforcement agencies told us they prepare for possible shortages, which they first saw at the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Sanger Police Department is also good on supplies through the end of the year. "We have already placed an order for ammunition. When that gets here, I don't know. If it gets here at the end of the year and it comes just in time, we'll still be fine. If it gets here past that, then we'll have issues and we'll have to figure out solutions to that," said Corporal Robert Theile.
In Sanger, the department's Range Masters plan ahead. They schedule training and then place their order for the year. Theile said that training is essential. "It's the backbone of our ability to be able to provide a professional agency, to be able to provide a service to the public, to minimize risk to the public. All of those rounds... each one is an opportunity to become better," said Theile. Officers currently train every other month but that could chance if supply does eventually become an issue.
