(AP) — Metro Savannah's police officers could soon be carrying rifles in a plan aimed at giving them more firepower when they encounter powerful weapons on the streets. Savannah-Chatham Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin said he plans to approve a policy that would outfit at least some of his allotted 300 patrol officers with semiautomatic rifles, The Savannah Morning News (http://bit.ly/1HfpEK3) reported. The general idea is that patrol officers would be better equipped in the time between initial response and a SWAT team's arrival, allowing them to keep their distance and increase their firepower, the Morning News reported. Police officers with patrol rifles have to become certified in use of the weapons and demonstrate proficiency by qualifying each year, the Savannah newspaper reported. Garden City police have a mix of semi- and fully automatic weapons.