Geneva to add firearms training instructor
The Geneva Town Council was approached by Berne Police Department Officer Ryan Moore about having himself added to Geneva’s official staff as a firearms training instructor. Moore explained that he became uncomfortable with being invoiced because of the liability he was assuming in the case of an accident during a training session. This left the Officer with two options, become a member of Geneva’s staff or start his own LLC. With the insurance expenses this would incur for the limited amount of training that he holds, it would not make any financial sense, which led him to pursue the former.
Moore has been a law enforcement officer for 15 years and holds certifications in general firearms training, physical tactics, ground fighting, and firearms and rifle. He is one of four total firearms instructors that are employed by police departments in Adams County, with Berne having three and Decatur having one.
Geneva Town Marshal expressed his desire for Moore to become an employee of the town. The Town used to have its own firearms instructor on the force, but because of his retirement, the department is in a bind. Deputy Marshal Tyler Ritter-Butz will be going through the training to become an instructor, but until he is certified, their force remains in need of someone to conduct their mandatory training throughout the year.
Marshal Hess and Officer Moore agreed on an hourly pay of $30 an hour that would likely be earned during three separate, five hour training sessions with the Town’s police force. Moore called this amount, “the minimum training that he would feel comfortable with.” This would cost Geneva an estimated $450 a year, however they were already going to be paying for the training anyway, and Hess confirmed that he has money in his budget to cover it.
The council nearly unanimously voted to move forward with adding Moore as a Town employee. Gary Hendershot abstained from voting due to his because of his relationship to Moore. To officially complete this change, there will have to be an amendment to the existing salary ordinance. This amendment will be brought before the council at the Town’s next meeting, which will occur on February 14th, at 6:30 p.m.