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The Bears took the unusual step of having kicker Cody Parkey practice at Soldier Field, instead of at their practice facility.

Then they took the unusual step of banning local television stations from airing the footage of that practice, when local news stations sent helicopters to film the practice in the publicly owned building.

Taking so many unusual steps can be time-consuming, unless you have a police escort.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears specialists were able to get from their facility in Lake Forest to Soldier Field more quickly with the help of local law enforcement.

NFL teams typically get an assist getting through traffic when their buses are moving from hotels or airports to games. But calling in the cops to breeze through traffic would be unusual for a much smaller contingent, making the 40-mile trip from their suburban facility to their stadium.

“It is standard procedure for us to hire a private police escort for occasional team practices off-site, for example our annual Varsity Bears practice, or for team travel to and from the airport for away games,” Bears spokesman Brandon Faber told the Tribune.

State police didn’t comment on how often they were escorting the Bears, though they require teams to pay $110 per officer per hour, and $40 per vehicle for fuel and maintenance.

“The main purpose of an escort is to provide safety and security for all those involved in the motorcade as well as for the motoring public,” state police Sgt. Jacqueline Cepeda said. “Professional sports teams traveling in identifiable groups pose a target risk for criminal activity. Additionally, the movement of groups of multiple large vehicles (such as team buses and equipment trucks) pose a greater traffic hazard without proper traffic controls.”

“All officers working escort details are outside their regular scheduled shifts and are earning overtime.”

The Bears clearly value Parkey, as they hung onto him after the early misses that led to the special treatment. Although it’s a bit odd that they’d need an escort for a traveling party that ought to be able to get where they’re going in one vehicle.