Debby Mayer is reporting in the Columbia Paper the Germantown Town Board has unanimously approved the purchase of two Bushmaster Patrol Rifles for the town's Police Department. The weapons were described at a recent Town Board meeting as AR-15 style rifles. Supervisor Roy Brown said the town's police officers currently carry two shotguns when on patrol, locked in the trunk of the patrol car, in addition to the pistols they carry. The town's five part-time police officers will be trained by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in the use of the new weapons. Three of the four town board members present for the vote, despite expressing support for the police department, had reservations about the upgrade to semiautomatic rifles, but ultimately agreed to approve the request. Read the full story in the Columbia Paper.