Sacramento police running low on bullets

The Sacramento Police Department on Thursday will ask the City Council for $300,000 to buy ammunition to meet training demands as new officers are hired.

The city currently has a $500,000 contract with San Diego Police Equipment Company, Inc. to purchase ammunition for the department from Dec. 9, 2014 through June 30, 2017, according to a department staff report.

But with new recruits at the department and ongoing training of veterans, bullets may run low before that contract runs out. The department currently has 759 officers, including academy trainees.

“As the SPD continues to rebuild and fill officer vacancies, the increase in training new and current officers has resulted in an unanticipated increase in ammunition purchases during the first year and a half of the contract,” said the report.

The money would come out of the department’s 2016/2017 budget.

It is unclear how much ammunition the contract would provide. The department did not return a call for comment.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 12:17 PM.