The recession, war in Iraq and Afghanistan and a Democrat in the White House have all contributed to making ammunition scarce and expensive, and local police say they've had to be creative with training methods to compensate.

Sgt. Owen Shiverdecker, range master for the Utah County Sheriff's Office, said he has watched ammunition increase in price over the last three years. The war brought down the supply of ammunition, and the bad economy increased the price of brass and lead, he said. At the same time, budgets were slashed, and tough choices had to be made.

"It's easier to cut the ammo than to cut the people," Shiverdecker said.

With the price of brass doubling or tripling and gun enthusiasts creating stockpiles after the Democrats took control of the White House, Shiverdecker said police agencies have been hit hard by the law of supply and demand.

At a recent training exercise with another agency, officers were given only three boxes of ammunition per person for three hours. Shiverdecker said agencies have had to buy far less practice ammunition after the price for 1,000 rounds went from $150 to $200. With the cost of supplying 320 officers in the sheriff's office alone, officers have had to make do with less, he said.

"They get less training and less time on the guns," Shiverdecker said.

Training has instead become a little creative. The veterans on the force do not need as much training as new officers, who Shiverdecker said are often unfamiliar with guns and need to get up to speed. Dry-fire activities are also used, in which there is no bullet in the gun. Air guns have been purchased to shoot pellets at targets, and Shiverdecker said officers often use paintball guns or rubber guns in training. The same training schedules have been maintained for the most part, but the level of training isn't the same.

"I think there's concern over the general training level," he said.

An added difficulty is the availability of the ammunition, which has gone down drastically with hoarding. Shiverdecker said he ordered some ammunition 18 months before its planned use to make sure he got it in time. The availability is getting better, as people are becoming more at ease, he said.

"Some things are slightly more available," Shiverdecker said. "I don't think I've seen the prices come down."

Lindon police chief Cody Cullimore said he has not seen the same increase in price, but the department is only a year old. He ordered ammunition for the Pleasant Grove police department three years ago, but Cullimore said he could not recall the price then. The real problem Cullimore has seen is the availability of the ammunition. He often orders ammunition far in advance as well, though it seems to be arriving sooner now.

Although the department is not in dire straits, Cullimore said ammunition is certainly conserved as much as possible. Qualifying still takes place four times a year, but the department practices less.

"I wish it was as much as we want, but that's not really realistic," he said.

Springville police Lt. Dave Caron emphasized that while prices have gone up, the police department is still well-trained. Sometimes, the training is with paintball-like guns or lasers, but training itself cannot be bypassed.

"Obviously, we just won't shoot as many live rounds this coming year," he said.

Caron said the city has been very supportive and continues to budget for police training. Shooting a lethal weapon is too important of an issue to send an officer on the street without adequate training.

"It's like driving a car," he said. "It's something we do and have to be good at."

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