News 12 at 6 o'clock / Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

APPLING, Ga. -- Police officers in Thomson are bringing out the big guns to help them fight crime. Officers now have military M-16 rifles, and they didn't have to dig deep in their pockets to pay for them.

It's straight to training and target practice as the officers learn how to use the rifles in their fight against crime.

"It's very important to me as the chief of police of the Thomson Police Department to return my officers home at the end of every tour of duty safe from harm," said Thomson Police Chief Joe Nelson.

A state program gives unused Department of Defense equipment to local law enforcements around Georgia.

"It gives us an opportunity to better equip small town police departments," Nelson explained.

And these days, officers say they need weapons like these just to keep up with criminals on the street.

"A lot of our criminals have a better outfit, are better equipped than some of our police departments and it's sad, really sad. It's a very scary thought," Nelson said.

And when those situations do turn deadly, officers now have another tool at their disposal.

"We don't have to be that close to them anymore, we don't have to get on and get within handgun range. We can actually stand back, contain the situation and control the situation with a long gun from a greater distance," said Columbia County Sheriff's Training Sgt. David Sward.

Nelson said the weapons give them a tactical advantage.

"It creates more space, more distance between us and the assailant," he said.

Distance that could make the difference between life and death.

"They're not a scare tactic, they're not a threat to other people ... They are a simple tool that helps them keep them safe, keep the citizens safe," Sward said.

The 13 weapons were provided free of charge. The department only had to pay for the cost of shipping, which totaled less than $500.

Nelson says the guns will stay in patrol cars and will only be used in rare situations where officers need to use deadly force. They were able to train and qualify on the weapons on Thursday in Appling with the help of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.