(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — With more and more police officers are coming under gunfire while doing their jobs, a Southwest Side alderman says a community event in his ward is even more important.
Nineteenth Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea said the Get Behind The Vest Pancake Breakfast late this month will help raise tens of thousands of dollars to buy replacement bulletproof vests for officers and show them Chicago cares about them.
“Just last year alone, there were 76 occasions where Chicago police officers were shot or shot at. Fourteen times they were struck,” O’Shea said Thursday.
Because of COVID protocols, this year’s pancake breakfast at St. John Fisher Church in West Beverly will be a carry-out affair. No eating in Kane Hall and no deliveries like last year, says the alderman.
“Last year, to be quite frank, we had a record-setting year. We raised over $50,000 but … we bit off more than we could chew.”
Ald. O’Shea says it’s important for people to show police that they are supported as more officers decide the dangerous streets are not for them.
“It’s evident by what we see in just the sheer numbers of officers that have left the job — left and gone to other police departments in suburban areas or just left law enforcement altogether.”
Bullet-proof vests cost $600 apiece. After the initial one provided to new officers upon graduation, they must pay for replacements. The vests have a shelf life of about five years, O’Shea explained.
In the past several years, money has been raised by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to replace more than 11,000 bulletproof vests, he said. There’s a need to replace about 500 vests a year, the alderman said.
The Get Behind The Vest Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation is Sunday, Feb. 27 at St. John Fisher Church. Cost is $20 for each to-go container.
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