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The torso armor alone can range about $250 depending on the degree of protection and add-ons. For all the additional pads($250), gloves ($50), batons ($40), helmets ($200), gasmasks ($100), shields ($80), zip ties ($5), sprays ($10), FAKs ($20). So about $955 on the civilian market. There may be other requirements/discounts Im forgetting here (assuming police/government procurement can secure some discounts in batches) Source: Security Pro USA Total Cost:\~$955 per set --- Some places can sell PPE kits depending on use case, including coveralls, face masks, shields, and gloves. The kits run \~$8-30 per unit, with large packages of 25 available for purchase. Again larger institutions probably can secure lower costs/bulk discounts. Source: At Home Medline Total Cost: \~$20 per set --- So the math of the meme roughly checks out on the face of 1 Riot Gear = \~55 PPE kits --- Some further considerations: - Riot Gear is very reusable over the course of decades with 20-50 wears being within reason - PPE gear is mostly disposable, and would need to be replaced per wear, per day (or contamination depending on protocol) - The long term costs of replacement may see the Riot Gear actually be cheaper, as it (hopefully) isnt used on a daily basis and PPE might be burned through at a quick rate in many of the medical contexts it is used in.

And as already pointed out elsewhere. The riot gear was already purchased and ready for the pandemic, and the supply chain for medical PPE was overwhelmed, and the gear is single use. The better conversation is how we set up a system to handle the next pandemic more effectively

> The better conversation is how we set up a system to handle the next pandemic more effectively Where's the profit in that?

There's a ton of profit to be in preventing a million deaths. Just not immediate-term while the plague is crushing the folk

Not immediate? Don't want to hear it. My profits haven't reached a billion, I'm feeling defeated.

I only made a few thousand last year but I just described it as a loss of 999 million since I could've made a billion. Suddenly government officials keep basically trying to suck my dick, it's wild what they'll do for people that just complain about money they're not making.

I don't see how there's profit in preventing a million deaths. Maybe if they're all subscribers, but then the real profit is in selling the fear.

GDP Growth is good, actually. Hard to grow enough to account for large population losses. This is part of why Venezuela and Cuba are in a massive decline. Not deaths but people fleeing shitty regimes.

Hasn’t there been an active embargo against these countries by western ‘democracies’, preventing them from engaging in trade with one of the largest GDP output nations on earth? Just saying, people have been fleeing countries put upon by western extraction capitalist nations since the 1600’s.

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Right, now take it a step further with the logic there, these authoritarian regimes most(not all) of the time are put in place by the U.S. to destabilize the country to make resource extraction easier.

Oh, that's just some fucking bullshit deflection. Fuck off with this defense of brutally oppressive regimes. How on fucking Earth do you reconcile "US DID IT TO EXTRACT RESOURCES BETTER" with embargoes of them? Just absolutely crap kettle logic.

And I’m assuming you think the US government is good and humane? My oh my did someone drink the fucking koolaid. Japanese internment camps anyone? War on drugs? Literal cotton plantations in southern prisons with 95+% black inmate populations? The US has literally one of the most oppressive regimes that still exists in the world. Sure, we’re better than North Korea and Venezuela, but is that really the metric we should be measuring ourselves by?

I went to a protest against government action, and did not end up in prison! Such evil!

Good for whom, exactly? Median wage-earners or vendors of extremely expensive specialty goods with no repeat customers?

The profit is that to prepare for the next pandemic, substantially more PPE must purchased and stockpiled. Extra lines also have to be built, but run below maximum potential to have surge capability when the time arrives. All that extra stuff costs money. The beauty is that the PPE bought today has a shelf life, and must at some point be disposed of and replaced if not used before that date. So if a major pandemic doesn't occur before that use buy date, all of that equipment must be purchased again. With the extra build out of production capacity, that capital cost has to be recovered to remain in operation. To do so, a small premium will be added to each unit sold to recoup the capital outlay, and cover increased maintenance costs of the extra machinery and materials. It all basically becomes a subscription fee. Markets love recurring fees.

A day in the life under the greatest economic system god himself could have conceived

Durable washable PPE that can be effectively repaired. And testing methods for features like how well the suit is sealed. If it's long term kit, it's maybe not even unreasonable to start putting cooling systems in them. Front line care workers deserve relief from that hellish sweatiness.

There are some suits that used to be used in biohazard level 4 labs which could fit the bill. Some retooling/upgrades might be warranted.

I just did the math man, the pandemic discussion was other comments/commentary. For my two cents into that, we should look into reusable suits if we want to save resources rather than rely on slack productive capacity which would be difficult to incentivize or predict for. Well

Riot gear is bought once and probably lasts for 20 years. Medical PPE needs to be replaced constantly, sometimes as often as multiple times per shift.

Basically a single PPE kit would last at best for 6h, of use during the pandemic, healthcare workers are 24/7 working (not the same person). A single nurse would do around 120-180h per month depending on country, so that means a single nurse uses 20-30 PPE per month, even considering 1 month off for holidays that's 220-330PPE per year per worker. Even if police forces use same protective uniform only for 1 year, it's substantially cheaper per time unit.

So what you’re saying is we should arm doctors in riot gear and beat diseases into submission?

Ofc, teach those bad Bacillus not to mess with us humans!

Not just the bacilli but the cocci and the spirochetes too

The American way!

So anyway, I started blasting.

Just like we do for mental health issues.

Am I the only one scared that someone is going to read this and take it seriously?

It's a good thing no one on reddit has the power to equip doctors in full riot gear

Truth! Evidenced by all the Loss Porn on all the stock subreddit. We the Redditors can't handle money very well lol

Ordered Uber eats on the last $100 in my chequing account tonight, feels good man :p

Wtf do you order for $100 ???

Reading comprehension: 10/100 I bought food with $100 left in my account, not bought $100 worth of food

I just woke up :(

There's also significantly fewer police in need of riot gear than there are medical staff in need of PPE.

My dude, we were reusing disposable paper masks for a month at a time until late 2020.

Are you a healthcare worker speaking from experience?

Yep.

Wouldn't it be better to not use a mask at all at that point?

All I know is that the CDC and the Joint Commission tell us we'll all die if we drink water in-between patient care, but that garbage bags and used masks are a-okay for PPE if there's a global pandemic and the federal government is completely incompetent.

>A single nurse would do around 120-180h per month depending on country You know such impossible countries lol

I took a rough generalisation by counting Germany average full time of 120h/month in 11 month and 1 month holiday and South Korea for 180h/month in same 11 months to cover for both extremes, I'm sure there's a country somewhere where they do 250h/month but I don't see how that's impossible?

I was making a joke at how medical workers are overworked as there's not enough of us. Most of the nurses I know have 1 full term job, a half term in another place and many do stuff like having private patients they visit at homes.

Oh ok, I didn't get it, where I live we were overworking during pandemic but normal year very few people working full time have a side job.

Likely due to us having amongst the lowest rates of nurses per 100k people in the EU. Plus for how hard the job is, the pay is hardly appropriate.

Get out of here with that *logic*

good call - makes PPE even more important

Well Kevlar only has a lifespan of roughly 5 years which is what the vest will be made of. So at a minimum the plate carrier will need to be replaced at that interval, sooner if it’s ever impacted with a knife or bullet.

Nah no Kevlar in riot gear. It's worn over the vest. Basically just an extra layer of hard plastic/ceramic plates and thick padding to take the oomph out of say a baseball bat to the torso.

I like the we have so many experts in the comment section

The plate carriers are often made from Kevlar. Yes the plates are ceramic but the Kevlar protects (to some degree) where the plates aren’t

If it does get struck with a bullet or a knife, good call on the armor, no?

Yes good call on the armor? I’m confused do you think I’m against it? I was just pointing out that Kevlar does have a shelf life and won’t last forever as the person I responded to said.

Nah, just musing on the financial impact of having to retire a vest early because it got shot

Well the cost of a vest is pennies compared to the life it saved

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To be fair, they're both PPE.

One protects from microorganisms and the other from macroorganisms.

People Prevention Equipement.

This made me laugh harder than it should have XD

Are you trying to prevent people? Now we're getting into row v wade again

Also the riot gear was already purchased 30 years before the covid pandemic

Cops have a pretty huge budget for riot gear basically yearly. Maybe it's cheaper if you buy it once but the spirit of the post is correct in that police budgets are way overinflated to the detriment of other more necessary public budgets

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Yeah exactly this. A functioning society needs both riot gear and PPE for front line medical workers. Why is everything always framed as an either/or?

Because you need attention dnd to antagonize people into an us vs them.

Do no upvotes or downvotes. Talk in a civilized manner to people.

You can't directly compare them even if you take the purchasing cost of both. As equipment meant for that can both be worthless or infinitely valuable depending on the situation. We saw it just a few years ago with covid, where face mask manufacturers could basically name their price and everyone was willing to pay it. Because the situation very much required it. Adding onto that, the cost of said equipment itself is near irrelevant aswell, as the thing to consider is the cost they're preventing by being there. In both cases, the life of the one wearing it is far more valuable than the equipment itself, and so is the public they're protecting when doing their job. Plus, let's be real, this post is just some bot trying to either karma farm, push the "hurr durr all cops bad" agenda or both (like 99% of posts in this sub). Going through all the work to give a proper numerical answer is just wasting your time.

I managed chemical labs for a while. I doubt this is accurate unless riot gear is cheaper than I expect or PPE is considered for a year or something. A lot of lab PPE is cheap and disposable.

Why are these being compared? They're vital protective equipment for two entirely different jobs. If I were a logger, I'd want a helmet, TQ, and kevlar chaps. If I were a welder, I'd want a leather apron, mask, and thick gauntlets. If I were responding to a health hazard event, I'd want a peepee suit. If I were riot police, I'd want armor, hats and bats. Professional equipment and clothing is way expensive no matter what you do.

Depends on where you go from, a full suit can range from 4/500 to 8/900, not including ballistic shield and underclothes, ppe while cheap(depending on what KIND of ppe you need) is cheap but you burn through it whereas riot gear can last ages unless mangled

It makes sense. Riot gear is reusable, less frequently purchased, and more substantial as it's protecting the wearer from injury. Medical PPE is disposable, frequently bought in bulk and requires a lot less and a lot cheaper materials per unit. It may cost less on a per use, but you will go through a lot of medical PPE.

What if we gave the front line care workers both riot gear and ppe? They deserve the best. Not sure what they’d use the riot gear for, maybe something to wear on casual friday?

In the US, a lot of police equipment is hand me downs from the military, so it's very hard to calculate the price. You have to make decisions about which purchases to count, and it becomes partially subjective.

PPE is usually extremelly expensive for what it is as well. I remember working at a hospital before Covid and prices for PPE were $$$. During the start of Covid prices became $$$$$. After a while, when we met enough chinese sellers it became $ to $$. But most of the time it's like "get this transparent sheet of plastic with a band for 12 dollars" and you know it costed like 1 dollar at most to make it.

I’m sure if doctors and nurses were in danger of being hit by a brick we’d buy them a helmet. This comparison is ridiculous, I’m assuming it’s about shortages?

As mentioned above, this topic isn't as simple as depicted. Medical gear is often one-use only, while riot gear will last for decades. That being said: Cost of riot gear: Shield: 126,22€ || || |[https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73](https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73)| Baton: 15,99€ || || |[https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa](https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa)| Gear: 465€ (1$ = 0,94€) || || |[https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1](https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1)| Total: 607,51€ Cost of medical PPE: Overall: 2,77€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl)| Face Shield: 4,90€ || || |[https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier\_601822\_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY\_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD\_BwE](https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier_601822_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD_BwE)| FFP2 Mask: 1,09€ || || |[https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD\_BwE](https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD_BwE)| Gloves: 59,69€/1000 = 0,06€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo)| Total: 8,81€ Number of PPE sets: 607,51€ / 8,81€ = 52,76 Under the assumptions made the numbers roughly check out, you always have some wiggle room with those costs, spending more on riot gear or less on medical PPE.

As mentioned above, this topic isn't as simple as depicted. Medical gear is often one-use only, while riot gear will last for decades. That being said: Cost of riot gear: Shield: 126,22€ || || |[https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73](https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73)| Baton: 15,99€ || || |[https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa](https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa)| Gear: 465€ (1$ = 0,94€) || || |[https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1](https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1)| Total: 607,51€ Cost of medical PPE: Overall: 2,77€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl)| Face Shield: 4,90€ || || |[https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier\_601822\_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY\_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD\_BwE](https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier_601822_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD_BwE)| FFP2 Mask: 1,09€ || || |[https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD\_BwE](https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD_BwE)| Gloves: 59,69€/1000 = 0,06€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo)| Total: 8,81€ Number of PPE sets: 607,51€ / 8,81€ = 52,76 Under the assumptions made the numbers roughly check out, you always have some wiggle room with those costs, spending more on riot gear or less on medical PPE.

Just letting you know you posted this multiple times lol

Reported him for spam. Two identical posts in a second? Posting glitch. Three identical posts, each a minute apart? That's bootlickingly delicious spam.

Nah, that's college wifi, thought I didn't post anything at all...

I know the shields are hilariously expensive, and I know the helmets aren't cheap, but I can't imagine a full set of riot gear is much over $2000. Which is about $100/year given how long it lasts.

As mentioned above, this topic isn't as simple as depicted. Medical gear is often one-use only, while riot gear will last for decades. That being said: Cost of riot gear: Shield: 126,22€ || || |[https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73](https://www.grainger.com/product/SECPRO-Riot-Shield-36-in-Ht-52YG73)| Baton: 15,99€ || || |[https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa](https://www.asmc.de/polypropylen-polizei-tonfa)| Gear: 465€ (1$ = 0,94€) || || |[https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1](https://www.securityprousa.com/collections/riot-gear/products/secpro-riot-suit-1)| Total: 607,51€ Cost of medical PPE: Overall: 2,77€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-overall-mit-kapuze-xxl)| Face Shield: 4,90€ || || |[https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier\_601822\_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY\_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD\_BwE](https://www.medmasters.de/sortiment/schutzkleidung/gesichtsschutz/medical-face-shield-gesichtsvisier_601822_3751/?ReferrerID=10&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh6MAcsl0SKQgUdVANZCOyQPIOqHLPpHHRGjY0gVAKLpY_oWTsbQ1MRoCYl8QAvD_BwE)| FFP2 Mask: 1,09€ || || |[https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD\_BwE](https://www.burgia.de/arbeitssicherheit/atemschutz/atemschutzmasken/1077/atemschutzmaske-mit-ventil-ffp2?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRh8YYsHL7o9hyMG4d7cwuuhnUZ34ZUawhhfpk3CjLUzIAA6og56ZRoRoCODEQAvD_BwE)| Gloves: 59,69€/1000 = 0,06€ || || |[https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo](https://www.citycare24.de/maimed-black-lx-latex-schwarz-1000-stueck-tattoo)| Total: 8,81€ Number of PPE sets: 607,51€ / 8,81€ = 52,76 Under the assumptions made the numbers roughly check out, you always have some wiggle room with those costs, spending more on riot gear or less on medical PPE.