HAMILTON — The Hamilton police department spends more per officer on firearms training than departments in Middletown, Fairfield and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, according to a Journal News analysis.

For 2010 ammunition expenditures, the city of Hamilton spent an average of $652 per officer, Fairfield spent $392 per officer, Middletown spent $152 per officer; Butler County spent $117 per officer and Cincinnati spent $116 per officer, according to city and county records.

Hamilton police exceeded its $65,000 annual ammunition budget in 2010 by more than $6,000, city records show.

The budget was exceeded because additional Taser cartridges were needed and because of increased costs for ammunition, said Brian Buchanan, Hamilton’s rangemaster and training officer.

He said the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have decreased supplies of bullets and thus increased the costs, on average between 15 to 30 percent a year.

“With wars going on, ammunition is on back order because the military gets first choice,” Buchanan said.

The investment has resulted in the Hamilton SWAT unit excelling at national competitions. In 2010, the department hosted the Southwest Ohio SWAT Challenge and the HPD SWAT unit was given the “Top National Team” award.

The state requires police cadets to have 60 hours of firearms training before becoming an officer, but there is no minimum number of hours the state requires to requalify on a firearm, said Dan Tierney, spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

“While there is indeed a requirement for peace officers to requalify annually with their firearm, there is no minimum hour requirement. Requalification is generally done through a peace officer’s department/appointing agency,” Tierney said.

Since 2004, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Association has required police officers to re-qualify to use a handgun every year on a 60-round course, which takes about three hours, Buchanan said. Starting in January, the new requirement will be a 25-round course, he said.

Over the last 10 years, Middletown police spent about $150,000 for ammunition, and an additional $11,303 for less-lethal ammunition such as beanbag rounds and Taser cartridges, according to Lt. John Magill.

“Middletown officers spend four hours shooting handguns and shotguns each year. That time includes weapons maintenance,” Magill said. “They spend an additional two hours on policy review and testing for ... a total of six hours per year.”

Hamilton patrol officers are out at the firing range on Headgates Road for eight-hour sessions twice a year, police officials said. Special Weapons and Tactics officers are out at the firing range for eight hours every month, and SWAT members who use sniper rifles spend an additional eight hours training every month at the firing range.

In 2008, the department’s budget for ammunition was cut from $65,000 a year to $15,000 a year, but revenue from concealed carry weapons and self defense courses has been used to supplement that budget to maintain expenditures, Buchanan said.

Hamilton, Middletown and other police agencies have a variety of weapons at their disposal and officers carry different guns depending on their assignments. Hamilton police have two types of sidearms: Glock model 22 .40-caliber handguns (100 units) are issued to patrol and detectives. SWAT members carry a Glock model 35 .40-caliber handgun (20 units).

Secondary weapons include the Remington 870 12-gauge pump shotgun (50 units, $400 each). SWAT members carry a semi-auto Bennelli M1 12-gauge shotgun (18 units, $750 each). Patrol rifles are Bushmaster and Colt .223-caliber rifles (eight units, $1,000 each). SWAT members also carry MP5 9mm caliber or UMP 45 .45 caliber guns (12 units, $1,000 each). Taser X26 (80 units, $900). Others carry the M/26 version (20 units, $400 per gun).

“We maintain a high level of training. A bit above what the national average is,” Buchanan said.

The practice sessions include mental process training, so officers know when to shoot and when not to.

“Firing a weapon is a physical, perishable skill,” Buchanan said. “When you’re under stress, your fine motor skills go out the window.”

The last time a Hamilton police officer discharged a firearm at someone while on duty was in 2010, a fatal shooting of a man who was beating a woman with a hammer.

Excluding any shootings of animals, Butler County deputies have shot their firearms while on duty, not training, about six times in the last 15 years, said Anthony Dwyer, chief deputy at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

“Most officers in the county will never fire their weapon at somebody,” Dwyer said.

Butler County and West Chester Twp. officers train at a firing range on a former garbage dump on Woodsdale Road south of Trenton.

Dwyer said they rent the range out to other agencies, including U.S. Marshals and airport officers.

“Over the last two years, our training budget has been whacked to nothing,” Dwyer said.

In Fairfield, the budget has been reduced to $15,000 for firearms training in 2012. Fairfield uses Hamilton’s firing range on Headgates Road, and has spent $4,000 to help maintain the facility, said Fairfield police Chief Mike Dickey.

Because of financial constraints, firearms training for Fairfield officers has been cut from six sessions a year to two, Dickey said.

“When you are in a situation that is tense and demanding, you have to rely on your training and muscle memory to react to those situations,” Dickey said.

Andy Sedlak contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or rwilson@coxohio.com.