Police spent more than $62K on gear during Wichita protests
A few days after protests in Wichita turned violent, the Wichita Police Department purchased more than $62,000 in protective gear, according to information requested by The Eagle.
The purchase came as activist groups called for police reforms; including one group demanding that police be defunded. In an emailed statement, Wichita police spokesman Charley Davidson said the gear was to “ensure that frontline officers have the equipment they need to keep them and the public safe now and in the future.”
According to Davidson, the quote for the gear came on June 4 and the items would have arrived within a day. Wichita protests started on May 30, five days after George Floyd died while in police custody in Minneapolis. The death sparked international protests and the call for police reform.
Wichita protests at 21st and Arkansas turned violent on June 1, leading to businesses being damaged and police shot at. Police drove protesters from the intersection with riot gear, tear gas, flash grenades and foam bullets. Police said an officer’s helmet and an armored vehicle were hit with gunfire.
Police are issued helmets after the academy, Capt. Kevin Kochenderfer said.
The police department’s only “crowd control gear” when protests started was 30-plus clear shields, he said, and about a dozen were destroyed by debris thrown by protesters.
He said the gear was shipped overnight through a Galls police supply location in town and started to arrive on a Friday, ahead of planned protests on the weekend.
“Fortunately, we didn’t have any incidents to use it … like we had on (June 1 and June 2),” Kochenderfer said, adding the gear could be used in other situations like Riverfest. “I don’t want to run in the same issue that we did with this gear. You need it and don’t have it. I want to be able to have it on hand and hope that I don’t need it.”
Willie Scott Jr., the executive director of Wichita United, an activist group that started after the killing of Floyd, said the purchase of additional gear was necessary.
“Any business in a time of crisis would spend the necessary money to make sure it has the resources to deal with an issue,” Scott said in a message, pointing out protective gear was needed by officers fired at. “If we want to make a change to how things are done we have to vote, show up at the city (council) and city commissioner’s meetings, get in office, get in seats of authority, be the change you want to see.”
According to police, the gear totaled about $62,667 and included:
- 400 chest protectors at $73.50 each
- 75 shin guards at $36.47 each
- 200 protective shields at around $101 each
- 341 forearm protectors at $24.80 each
Editor’s note: An earlier version of the story called the chest protectors by the wrong name.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 3:23 PM.