Dublin Police Department to Receive New Side Arms

Dublin Mayor Debbie Lyons presents a copy of the former Dublin Town Seal to Dean and Kim Mathews which was designed by Mathew’s father, William “Bill” Mathews. (David Quesenberry/Patriot Publishing)

 

By DAVID QUESENBERRY

Patriot Publishing

The Dublin Town Council at its September meeting learned from Police Chief David King, Jr. that the Department would be securing new side arms within the next month.

Chief King said it had been a priority for him to get the Department new side arms since their current firearm was involved in several incidents in other departments where it discharged while holstered. This had resulted in several lawsuits and injuries to law officers in other jurisdictions.

Because of this concern, King said the Department was going with the Glock G45 which is similar to the side arm of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. This will allow both magazines and ammunition to be shared between officers of both agencies.

Department staff will soon begin qualifying with the new side arm. King added that due to the demand for this particular model, the Department could only be provided with part of their order. The rest of the order he said, should arrive in October.

Council was informed that the Utility Department was putting a roof on an abandoned structure on Marcy Road for a salt storage facility.

Town Manager Darrin Cullip said that salt usually comes in one ton bags, which can deteriorate over time and pose a hazard to personnel loading it into road equipment. This structure will be repurposed to store trailer loads of loose salt and snow removal equipment.

Council then recognized several persons for their support of and service to the Town.

Mayor Debbie Lyons presented Dean and Kim Mathews with a framed plaque of the current Dublin Town seal, which was designed by Mr. Mathews’ father, William “Bill” Mathews. The Town sponsored a contest for a Town seal between August and December 1985 which Mr. Matthews won. According to Town records, the prize was a $50.00 savings bond. The Town will begin using their new Town seal this fall. A copy of the original seal will be displayed in the Dublin Town Center.

Mayor Lyons also recognized retiring employee Mark Vaughn for his service to the Town. Vaughn was praised for his work in remodeling one of the former arsenal buildings into a new utilities shop for the Town and for other work on a wide variety of other Town construction and utility projects.

In reporting on the budget to Council, Town Manager Cullip said things were looking good. He noted that the Fire Department budget line items for gasoline, electricity and telephones were using funds “rolled over” in the transition with the County Fire Department.

Expenditures for VDOT eligible streets, he said were “a little high” because the Town had done its paving at the start of the current year and at the end of the past year.

Regarding the ongoing work on the Town’s grants, Cullip said the advertisement for bid deadlines for the Environmental Protection Agency grant had not been posted as planned. The bid deadline would be pushed out to the first week of October. He said a couple of engineering firms had contacted the Town with questions, which he thought might lead to two or three more firms submitting bids.

For the Department of Environmental Quality grant, Cullip said that the CHA engineering firm was working to finalize that grant by providing the state with records that showed that all the grant funds were spent as required.

With respect to the Water Improvement Grant, Cullip said he would have another meeting with County and Pulaski town officials next week. He said that earlier discussions proposed to use these grant funds to purchase materials for potential water projects. Cullip said he would have more information for Council after next week’s meeting.

Council received an update on the proposed restriction of heavy truck traffic on Giles Avenue. Cullip said he learned that both Dublin and the County will have hold public hearings again on closing the street to heavy truck traffic since the street lies both in the Town (Giles Avenue) and the County (Old Giles Road).

Although both localities had held public hearings and passed resolutions before, Cullip said that there were problems with the County’s original submission that will require the process to be repeated. He added that he would consult with the Town Attorney as to whether or not the Town will have to re-advertise a public hearing since Council had already approved a resolution closing the street to certain types of heavy trucks. The issue had been brought up by citizens’ complaints of heavy trucks speeding through the residential area of Giles Avenue.

Council was next updated on the Dublin Treat Trail. Chief Hall said that Administrative Manager Sherri Bralley had been contacting local businesses in the Town about the Treat Trail and had received positive responses about the event. He said that participating businesses and other details should be finalized this month to give time to prepare maps for the trail. The Treat Trail will be held on Halloween, Friday, October 31, 2025 with the hours yet to be determined.

After a short discussion, Council approved holding the Annual Dublin Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

The next regular meeting of the Dublin Town Council will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, 2025 in the Council Chambers of the Dublin Town Center.