In a few years, a SWAT team may not be called for life-threatening events. Police squad cars could be all that’s needed.

More police stations in Chicagoland communities are placing semi-automatic rifles in squad cars, according to the July 24 issue of the Chicago Tribune.

That move was brought on by events such as the Columbine High School shootings in 1999 and a bank robbery in North Hollywood, Calif., in 1997. In that incident, two men wearing body armor and armed with automatic weapons were able to outgun police for almost an hour.

So far, none of the police stations in DeKalb County have followed Chicago’s lead.

“We have considered it,” DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said. “It’ll be helpful in certain situations.”

For example, if an armed suspect is a long distance away, a rifle will be more likely to stop the person, Scott added.

Each county police department has a different arsenal depending on the area, Scott said.

DeKalb police cars are equipped with rifled-slug shotguns. They have been in use for 10 to 15 years.

Those guns haven’t been used to shoot anyone yet, DeKalb police detective Don Gladden said.

The latest type of weapon police stations are recommended to acquire are .223-caliber rifles, Gladden said. DeKalb police own some of those guns.

“They are high-capacity-type rounds,” Gladden said. “It has less lead and better penetration.”

The .223 rifles are safer because they aim better, Gladden said. They would be less likely to injure innocent bystanders.

Though semi-automatic rifles are not in squad cars yet, they could be soon, Scott said.

“It could be useful,” he added. “It’s the matter of the budget.”

The weapons can cost between $600 and $700 each, Scott said.

DeKalb police have talked about having shotguns in cars, Gladden said.

“We always discuss it,” Gladden said. “There are no plans to get them right now.”

If the police were to acquire the rifles, they will be properly trained before being able to use them.

For the rifled-slug shotguns they have now, officers are trained properly and tested about once a year, Gladden said.

“We won’t just put them out,” Gladden said. “We have specialty training in that.”

Gladden predicts that in about five years DeKalb police squad cars will have .223 rifles.

“We want to stay on the cutting edge of technology,” Gladden said.