The Purchase of the Alexander Arms
Beowulf .499 caliber rifle

What was reported in the media - During September, 2007 the Orlando Sentinel published a story detailing the Sheriff's Office's recent purchase of a new firearm.  While the story in itself was an accurate, albeit humorous account of the gun and its intended purpose, things began to go amiss when the paper's editorial board, one of its columnists and other news organizations  began to ride on the coat tails of the originial author.  The other journalists choosing to report on the issue simply did not take the time to gather their own facts.  The situation was further exasperated when a columnist for the paper published an inaccurate, highly inflated purchase price for the weapon system. 

The fact of the matter -  In retrospect we should have been better prepared when we agreed to a allow a photo shoot of two new types of firearms being added to the agency's operational inventory.  When questions were asked about the Beowulf we should have provided the memo you can reveiw by following this link.  It explains, in specific terms, why the large-caliber receiver for a rifle we currently used (not a whole new rifle) was purchased.  Quite simply, there are some very sound reasons for purchasing the firearms to include; lowering potential liability to the agency by stanardizing the weapons systems used by the Agricultural Crimes and Marine Unit, and using a gun with pinpoint accuracy but having a relatively limited range.  Something worth considering in the rapidly growing urban environment the Sheriff's Office serves.  READ THE BEOWULF MEMO