- The City of Chicago has agreed to buy more than 8,500 new face shields for police helmets in preparation for the May NATO conference.
The new shields will fit over police helmets and provide added protection against rocks or fluids, according to Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Melissa Stratton. While all the shields are expected to be delivered in time for the May 20-21 NATO conference, Stratton said "essentially this is about protecting our officers" at all times.
The $757,657 purchase was made through a contract Safeware Inc. has with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and did not utilize the special powers the City Council granted Mayor Rahm Emanuel to enter into no-bid contracts for equipment related to NATO, Stratton said. The city used a federal Homeland Security grant to cover the cost, she said.
This order of 8,512 shields is in addition to the 3,057 ordered last month.
That's only 11,570 - not nearly enough for the supposed 13,500 officers the administration always seems to claim exist. If there are a few hundred extras on order in case of breakage, loss or theft, we're even shorter.
UPDATE: A sharp eyed reader related the following:
- The first purchase of 3,057 shields cost $193,000 ($63.13 per shield)
- The next was 8,512 at a cost of $757,657 ($89.01 per shield)
Correct us if we're wrong, but don't most purchasers get volume discounts? The bigger order ought to be a bit cheaper, right?