Chicago pub urged to police itself by shelling out $84,000 to install Riot Glass after break-in: 'Ridiculous'

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Chicago police urge businesses to install riot glass to prevent break-ins

Chicago business owner Declan Morgan tells Fox News Ashley Strohmier about the Chicago Police Departments push for his business to enhance security by installing riot glass after a recent break-in.

A Chicago pub owner said local police are expecting his business to "police" itself by ramping up security measures, including installing "riot proof" windows after a series of break-ins.

Disenchanted by the proposed solution, Declan Morgan told Fox News' Ashley Strohmier on Wednesday that the $84,000 price tag attached to the idea is "ridiculous to expect."

"The city is asking us to police ourselves, and it just doesn't make sense," he said while appearing on "Fox & Friends First."

In the most recent display of lawlessness, Morgan's Irish Nobleman Pub faced a break-in at the hands of a burglar who broke a window with a brick. The business has dealt with other break-ins in the part, however.

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Still image from video of the burglary that took place at a Chicago pub. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)

After concerns over widespread burglaries heightened in recent days, the Chicago Police Department issued an alert on April 30, saying in part, "If possible, use ArmorPlast, an unbreakable shield that fits over existing glass."

"The police came out pretty fast, then we were informed to put in Riot Glass," Morgan recalled. "We priced that out, and it was about $84,000… we're a small business. We can't afford that."

The $1,400+ price tag to replace the broken window and hire more security, coupled with layoffs after the city eliminated the pub's expanded patio are making it "more difficult to survive," Morgan said.

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Crime remains a prominent concern among residents and business owners in The Windy City. (Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua via Getty Images)

"I don't know where it's coming from [the calls to install Riot Glass], but it's ridiculous to expect a small business to spend that much money."

He added that the business struggled under the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and crime has only exacerbated existing problems.

Morgan argued that Chicago police are doing the best they can to help mitigate the crime crisis, but those in charge are determined to leave business owners to fend for themselves.

Across the neighborhood, he told Strohmier approximately 25 bars had been broken into within the last month, but some have been broken into multiple times in a week.

"The police told us they know who it [the perpetrator] is, but they can't prove it because there are no fingerprints. The guy wore a mask the entire time, but the detective told us they knew who it was." 

Even if the perpetrator is put in handcuffs, Morgan said he is concerned city policies would mean he would be back on the streets within hours.

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