Fresno City Council approves the purchase of 270 assault rifles for Fresno PD despite public criticism

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno Police Department plan to buy nearly 300 assault rifles drew criticism at city hall.

Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the increasing numbers of attacks on police officers nationwide has convinced him every officer on the street needs an assault rifle.

However, several members of the public were not convinced and spoke out against the purchase.

"When we spend large sums of money on buying military style weapons for our police, the message it sends is something like the police are ready to go to war against the citizens of Fresno," said Gerald Bill, Fresno.

"For a lot of us we see the police getting these M4 rifles, these Colt M4 rifles, these are fully automatic assault rifles. These are weapons of war," said David Sasser, Fresno.

Despite the citizens' concerns, the council approved buying 270 assault rifles at a cost of more than $300,000.