A law enforcement firing range is generating heat among neighbors. The range near Elkhorn used to be in an isolated area until development caught up with it.

Saws and hammers are carving new upscale developments into the area around 192nd and Blondo while the sound of gunfire echoes nearby. Two blocks separate suburbia from target practice.

Elkhorn Police Chief Tim Dempsey is chairman of the law enforcement committee that oversees the firing range

Decibel tests have been done to compare the range with the sound of nearby passing trains and Dempsey says, "We measured it with the trains and by far, like two-to-one, the trains make much more noise when they come through here."

The firing range was built five years ago cost taxpayers $100,000. Law enforcement hopes to keep it open for another two years because there's no place else for officers to qualify in eastern Nebraska.

Firearms instructor Sean Millikan says, "We have to have it, yes. The Supreme Court is very clear. We have a duty to train. It's not an option. We have to do it."

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning says a feasibility study is under way on building a new gun range. This would involve agencies from five counties. A consultant will come up with possible locations and costs.