The Door County Sheriff's Department is doing its part to keep bullets fired by deputies during training from becoming environmental hazards. Some law enforcement agencies are phasing out lead-based bullets. While Door County has no plans to switch to lead-free ammunition, Chief Deputy Pat McCarty says the sheriff's department's firing range was designed with environmental protection in mind.
The Vilas County Sheriff's Department is among the Wisconsin law enforcement agencies to begin phasing in non-lead ammunition. That was prompted in part by studies that found eagles in the region had contracted lead poisoning. The birds were feeding on deer carcasses containing lead pellets and bullets. Law enforcement officers will sometimes euthanize deer struck by vehicles. So Vilas County Deputies will now use only lead-free ammunition in such instances.
