Shreveport Spends Over $5,000 to Buy Suits For Police Officers

UPDATE: Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins' Office has responded. Communications Director Ben Riggs told KEEL News:

"It is not 3 total uniforms, but 3 uniforms per 4 rotating officers, which means the cost of each uniform was $466 (including suit, shirt, belt, tie, & shoes). This figure is in keeping with the uniform stipend we said officers were given all along."

ORIGINAL STORY:

Back in January, a story started to gain steam around recently elected Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, and his use of plain clothes security officers. The story originally started as a difference in preferences between the current and previous administrations, but on social media it took on a whole new life.

The story online spiraled into accusations of SWAT team style bodyguards, to bullet proof SUVs, and high-dollar clothing budgets for officers. Most of these were very easy to brush off with eyewitness accounts of the Mayor driving himself around, or appearing at functions with little-to-no entourage of bodyguards.

Back in January, the Mayor's team spoke with KEEL News about these questions, and appeared to answer most.

However, KEEL News has obtained new evidence that appears to confirm one of the accusations about the security detail.

The accusations over the "high dollar wardrobes" may have more truth to it than previously believed. Here's the email KEEL News obtained from sources today:

According to the information we've obtained, multiple transactions for $5,592 took place to purchased clothing for Shreveport Police Officers. The clothing pieces listed on the statement appear to amount to 3 suits. At a total of $5,592, that would make each suit worth about $1,864, however the statement also states that the total for each Officer was $1,398.