Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers is a snazzy dresser.

When he shows up at a public event, you never know what to expect – he could, for instance, be sporting a purple cowboy hat, a blue paisley bowtie, a silk blue vest and bright white shoes.

Just one of his many looks.

Anyway, the high sheriff of Guilford County really enjoys making a fashion statement.

However, the uniforms for the officers and deputies who work for Rogers have to be a little more utilitarian and a little less flashy.  Now, it appears it’s time for those officers to get some new uniforms.

On Thursday, Nov. 24, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will hear and approve a request from Rogers to purchase new uniforms at a cost of $500,000.

According to the information the Sheriff’s Office provided to the Board of Commissioners regarding the agenda item, “The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office requires a wide range of uniforms and protective equipment for all law enforcement staff.  In North Carolina, cooperative purchasing or group purchasing allows multiple public entities to come together to procure goods or services to achieve cost savings and efficiencies.”

It is common practice for Sheriff’s Offices in the state – and many other local government entities – to get together and bid on items of this sort. By buying together with federal, state or local government agencies, the county gets beneficial pricing due to economies of scale.

In addition to uniforms, the Sheriff’s Office will also be purchasing some bulletproof vests.

From the language in the agenda item, it’s not clear how many uniforms and bullet proof vests the county will get in return for its half a million dollars; however, currently the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department has 662 full time positions.

 Vacancy rates for those positions are often high – especially when it comes to detention officers needed to staff the county’s two jails.

The uniforms and protective gear will be purchased from Galls, LLC, which is based out of Secaucus, New York.

Galls, a 50-year-old company that outfits and equips over a million people a year, provides clothing and other items for those in law enforcement, the military, security, EMS, the postal service, public transportation and more.

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