Apache Junction receives funding for police hearing protection

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Apache Junction Police Department personnel will soon be outfitted with special earbuds to protect their hearing when training at the gun range thanks to a more than $19,000 grant from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

The Apache Junction City Council on Oct. 21 voted unanimously to approve a consent agenda with other items and an intergovernmental agreement with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to accept grant funds in the amount of $19,638 for the Xcor hearing-protection equipment.

Proposition 202, passed with the 2002 gaming compact in Arizona, directs participating tribal governments to share 12% of their gaming revenues with surrounding local governments. Nonprofit organizations are eligible to compete with a local government agreeing to serve as a pass-through agent.

This is the first year that Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community allowed the Apache Junction Police Department to apply for the 12% gaming fund grants, AJPD Chief Michael Pooley said to the council at the Oct. 7 meeting.

“We are looking to get some hearing protection for our officers so when they are out at the range,” he said. “The big request is the (intergovernmental agreement) and really partnering with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community for the future and really appreciating the work that they do with other entities, not only ours.”

A total of 110 to 120 hearing protection devices will be purchased, he said.

The ear protection is needed by the city’s law-enforcement officers, Councilman Bryan Soller said at the meeting.

“As we know from the military, hearing is a big issue, especially when you are shooting a lot of firearms. So it’s good that you are looking into getting proper ear-protection for our troops,” he said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.