Welcome to our community’s factsheet addressing concerns about our neighboring police-operated firing range, which has effectively become a police training facility in a residential area. While we sincerely appreciate law enforcement’s invaluable role in ensuring our safety, it’s essential to engage in open dialogue about the potential impacts of the firing range on our community.
This factsheet aims to provide transparent information as we work together to address noise, safety, and environmental concerns.
What is the Woodcock Road range?
- Strange as it may seem, the Town of New Bedford operates a shooting range on Woodcock Road in Dartmouth.
- The range is located in an area of wetlands, with adjacent conservation land. The range is surrounded by homes, farms, small businesses and nature trails.
- Davoll’s General store, Alderbrook Farm, Destruction Brook, etc., are all within earshot.
- But this is not a range used only for local community shooters or only New Bedford and Dartmouth police officers. New Bedford rents it most days to police departments across New England.
- Last September, bombs were detonated at the range, with no warning given to residents!
>800
Officers used the range in 2023 (ecl. NBPD)
14
Different departments trained at the range in 2023
100%
Weekdays that training occurred in June 2023
>1,500 lbs of lead
Deposited each year by police training.
Noise and Safety
- We asked, but New Bedford does not measure the noise level emanating from the range.
- New Bedford has not detailed any efforts to mitigate the noise of the range.
- New Bedford will not say how many stray rounds have occurred.
- This is not a small handgun range. Police regularly use high-powered rapid-fire rifles.
- The police allow range users to shoot whatever they want. Some of these guns are 4x louder than a normal rifle or pistol.
DQCC 