Chicago Police Horse 'Riot Gear': Emanuel Administration Seeks Horse Protection For NATO/G8 Summits

Days after announcing that Chicago Police would get new riot gear, including 3,000 new face shields, in time for the NATO/G8 summits in May, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration has begun soliciting protective equipment for police horses, too.

Emanuel's camp is seeking bids for "police horse riot gear and training aids," including leather nose guards with "impact-absorbing foam," rear and front leg shields made of "high-impact plastic" and training tools to help prepare the horses for crowd-control operations, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The city plans to outfit all 30 horses in the CPD's mounted unit, in excess of their annual $2.7 million budget.

The May summits are expected to bring more than 7,000 world leaders, and will likely attract tens of thousands of activists and demonstrators eager to get their attention. Activist magazine Adbusters put out a call last month for 50,000 occupiers to "flock to Chicago, set up...peaceful barricades and #occupychicago for a month" in May, contributing to the concerns of police and city officials that increased security will be a necessity.

The Emanuel administration has commissioned the police face shields from Colorado-based Super Seer Corporation for $193,461. A supplier has not been chosen for the protective horse gear.

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) requested the additional gear, including the protection for horses, according to CBS Chicago. FOP President Mike Shields called the safety of the horses "paramount to the safety of the officers" and noted that the force's current shields and helmets are outdated.

"People have been known to throw bags of urine, human feces, and also inflammatories [sic] at officers” Shields said last week, according to CBS. "The [face shields] that were issued over a decade ago allow for fluids to drip through."

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[robinchicago]

01:20 PM on 02/22/2012

Woodstock ....... 1,000,000 people, no violence. Why? No Police.

[robinchicago]

01:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Again RAHM you miss the point. If there is any violence, it will be at the hands of that small percentage of cops who just want go out and kick somebodies head in. Of course your going to cut all communication to these areas so your stormtroopers are enabled to do just that. PROTESTERS - COPS = Peaceful Rally.

[Cailleach Echo]

12:31 PM on 02/22/2012

Throughout history, we have used horses, dogs and other animals to do our dirty work for us. Millios have died so that we could have what we want. I think its just plain shameful.

And, imagine what these horse are put through in order to make them able to go into large, noisy, unruly crowds without balking.

[ChiChick23]

12:42 AM on 02/22/2012

No one knows for sure what G8 will have in store for Chicago. I'm glad ALL in the line of duty will be protected!

[Wikked Cunflictid]

12:00 AM on 02/22/2012

Will jesus be there to protect the horses? whats a scooter?

[the-lexicon]

11:23 PM on 02/21/2012

Apparently, Rahm Emanuel has not been near a 1500 lb horse lately.

The animal commands respect, that's why it's out there. no plexiglass needed.

[AskandThink]

11:09 PM on 02/21/2012

I’m grateful as all heck they are protecting the innocent horses. Mano-a-mano on the other hand should be IMHO still kept… Equal Justice Under Law.

If my police are so equipped then so should I be. No law against the public wearing riot gear either…. Matter of fact some states even require them new fangled full faced motorcycle helmets.

Guberment really needs to learn the art of de-escalation!

[TMc73]

07:46 AM on 02/23/2012

I am not sure about Illinois, however there are laws on the books in jurisdictions around the country that prohibit private citizens from owning / purchasing items routinely issued to police departments such as Kevlar jackets (aka bullet proof vests).
Furthermore, there are also laws on the books throughout the country that make it illegal to cover ones face in an attampt to protect one identity as is often the case with protestors.

As far as the issue of the de-escalation of the police forces is concerned; four words:

"NOT GOING TO HAPPEN"

The average citizen who lauds the efforts of 'law enforcement' agencies around the nation ramping up their hyper militarized police departments under the guise of routine 'law and order' has no idea of the trouble they are creating for themselves, future generations, and our democracy.

Once this type of power has been granted it is very difficult to reign in afterwards.

[robert9671]

09:55 PM on 02/21/2012

Security will be over kill to the point of international embarrassment as it has been in the past. Wonder if they'll bring the ear damaging sound blasting armored tank in again, like they used in Pitttsburg?

[MsRainyDay]

02:22 AM on 02/22/2012

They are expecting over 50,000 protesters. How is this overkill?

[robert9671]

10:58 AM on 02/22/2012

Military machines that permanently damage human hearing with sound waves are overkill. And what about the pets and animals in the area? Its sick technology that shouldn't have been invented.

[TMc73]

07:52 AM on 02/23/2012

The BEST thing that the organized protest groups could do is to greatly exaggerate the number of people they are expecting to show. Advertise the numbers publicly, pull as many parade permits as they can with the city, make it looks like the world is going to end....and then make sure that very few people actually show up.

The city and the the organizations that guranteed to pay for the security will be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in 'security' costs for a few hundred protestors at best.

[majmac9659]

09:15 PM on 02/21/2012

Besides "horse riot gear" the horses should be trained to stomp the crap out of any "enlightened" protester throws anything its way. I guarantee the protest would quickly turn into a model for non-violence and civility.

Bottom Line - The right to Freedom of Expression and the right to assemble does not allow for violence on the part of the protesters.

[47th]

10:39 PM on 02/21/2012

Or the cops.

[majmac9659]

08:05 PM on 02/22/2012

The police have a right to defend themselves. Last time I checked throwing urine and/or rocks at someone was illegal. Someone who purposely tries to injure a cop and/or his horse deserves the wrath of the horse.

Bottom Line - Jerks who make a violent mockery of the First Ammendent and non-violent protest deserve to get the crap righteously stomped out of them.

[the-lexicon]

11:24 PM on 02/21/2012

you're insane.

[Cowgirldiane]

07:51 PM on 02/21/2012

Protective gear for horses goes back hundreds of years. Alexander the Great even had gear made for his elephants. One thing you don't want is to be near a horse that is frightened and have them rear up and kill a person. The gear is a great idea, expensive but great.

[drgcanhrs]

08:56 PM on 02/21/2012

The police horses are what horse-people know as 'bombproof' meaning a bomb could go off 5 FEET away and they WON"T get scared from it. Besides how could riot gear protect the public if its on a spooked horse??

[kostamagas]

01:46 AM on 02/22/2012

Ok. So you want the horses to kill people?

[alley boy]

06:57 PM on 02/21/2012

Why are the helmets black? In 1968 they were white, with the police department shield and the star number of the officer the helmet was issued to. I guess it makes it that much harder to single a single officer when a group of them beat up a protester, or fire a bean bag round or gas canister.

[Ann Begrun]

06:00 PM on 02/21/2012

Oh, my!

[unique]

05:43 PM on 02/21/2012

We keep getting closer to full Militarization of our
police forces in every city and town. Why can't
the police use scooters instead of horses?
Soon they will be coming for your guns and ammo.

[MrStat1]

06:01 PM on 02/21/2012

You really are a fool and have no concept of reality, aren't you!

[unique]

07:27 PM on 02/21/2012

You will see as they come to your town.
Hide your guns.

[unique]

08:32 PM on 02/21/2012

I do not go out and riot.

[Cowgirldiane]

07:49 PM on 02/21/2012

In scooters? Really? Where they can be yanked off, thrown off, blind-sided? No clue, huh?

[unique]

08:31 PM on 02/21/2012

Not looking to militarize American streets.

[bijoe1960 1]

05:07 PM on 02/21/2012

I don't know whether to laugh or brace for the impact of a lawsuit. I know Chicago police have riot gear, they used them in 68'. But what I don't know is why the Mayor thinks there will a problem with G8 and he needs to prepare for battle.

[MrStat1]

06:02 PM on 02/21/2012

You have got to be kidding, right? You are really that ignorant of current events?

[Taterhead McGobstopper]

12:22 AM on 02/22/2012

What current event would make anyone thing there's going to be a problem. Please name an actual incident of violence or harm that's happened recently as precedent.

[MsRainyDay]

02:21 AM on 02/22/2012

Why? G8 in Genoa in 2001 had 200,000 protesters. In 2007 Germany experienced some of their worst riots ever with G8. Riots in Geneva Switzerland in 2003. Riots in Japan in 2008. These are just a fraction of the riots and protests that have taken place.
And oh yes, over 50 groups have said they are going to take to the streets of Chicago to protest the G8 and Nato summits taking place. They are calling for over 50,000 protesters to attend.
So do you think 50,000 potential protesters taking to our streets is perhaps enough of a threat to have the Mayor preparing for potential problems?

[CogentThought]

04:26 PM on 02/21/2012

All the other horses are going to laugh at them.

[MrStat1]

06:02 PM on 02/21/2012

Got to protect the horses.

[CogentThought]

06:56 PM on 02/21/2012

I agree. The G8 should pay though.