Douglas County commissioners agree to halt Fraternal Order of Police lawsuit

Douglas County commissioners approved an agreement that would halt a lawsuit with the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter over zoning regulations.

At their Wednesday afternoon meeting, commissioners agreed to put the lawsuit on hold until June 1. In the meantime, the local organization would apply for a conditional-use permit for its firing range and lodge.

If the FOP doesn’t like the county commission’s decision on the conditional-use permit, they can return to court.

In 2007, the FOP filed a lawsuit after the county asked the organization to seek a conditional-use permit. The FOP had operated a firing range on the land near Lone Star Lake for decades, but the county had no record of the organization ever seeking or receiving approval for the use.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Evan Ice, an attorney for the county, told the commissioners that the agreement reached with the FOP shouldn’t sway how they rule on the conditional-use permit.

“Neighbors may come and have issues and complaints, but they really should not feel like your hands are tied, because they are not,” he said.