The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-07
METROPOLITAN POLICE BOARD.

AN ACT .r ftI
To pT0Uid6 for the appointment of Metro
poIttan Police for tie city Of Philadelphia.
Section 1. Be 1t enacted, etc., That the
city of Philadelphia be and is hereby enacted
for the purposes Of police discipline and gov
eminent into district, to be known as the
Metropolitan Police District of Philadelphia
Section 2. The appointment, control, and
entire government of the police of the said
district shall be and are hereby vested in a
Board of Police Commissioners, to be CON-
posed of the six following citizens: Henry
Bumm, Henry s. Tarr, George Truman,
Thomas E. Gaskill, John G. Bickel, and A.
w. Fletcher. l
The said commissioners shall hold their
Offices until the first Monday of November,
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and seventy six, and until their sue
cessors shall be duly elected and qualified,
and within ten days after the passage of this
act shall meet and organize by the election of
one of their number as president. They shall
also elect clerk and an assistant clerk In
case of any vacancy in the said board, by
death, resignation, or otherwise, the board
shall fill the same by electing commissioner
for the remainder of the term of five years,
the person chosen to be of the same political
party as his predecessor.
Section 3. The qualified electors of the city
of Philadelphia shall, on the second Tuesday
of October, ia the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, aud
every five years thereafter, vote at their re-
spective polls for the Office of Police Com
missioner, and at said election each qualided
elector shall vote for but three persons for
the Office of Police Commissioners, aud the
six persons voted for who shall be found, at
the closing of the polls on the day aforesaid,
20 have received the highest number of voses
for the office of Police Commissioner, shall be
lan all D.1.
shall hold their offices for the period of five
years, from the first Monday of November
following this said election, and until their
successors shall be duly elected and qualified:
Provided, That the mode of conducting said
election shall be in the manner and under the
laws providing for municipal elections in the
city of Philadelphia.
Section 4. Each commissioner shall receive
the sum of three thousand dollars ($3000) per
anpum, in full compensation for his services,
and the clerk of the board the sun of Que
thousand five hundred dollars ($1501) per
annum, and the assistant clerk the SUN of
one thousand dollars ($l000) per annum, aud
it is hereby made the duty of the Select aud
Common Councils of the city of Philadelphia
to appropriate sufficient moneys to pay the
same; but no commissioner shall, during his
continuance in Office, hold any other position
of profit or emolument under the United
States, the State of Pennsylvania, or the city
of Philadelphia; nor shall he while he con-
tinues a member of the said board be can
ddate for any elective Office whatever. He
shall be liable to impeachment and removal
for felony, bribery, or malfeasance in Office,
in the manner now provided for the impeach-
ment of aldermen in the city of Philadelphia.
Section 5. The said board shall have entire
control of all the police of the city of Phila-
dolphin, and shall have authority to increase
the number thereof, should they deem the
same needful and proper, and make such rules
and regulations for the government of the
said force as they may consider necessary.
They shall fix the number and grade of the
officers, and the annual compensation to each.
Every applicant for an appointment on the
force shall undergo thorough physical ex-
animation by properly qualified physician,
selected by the board for that purpose, and
no one shall be appointed who is not physi-
cally able, and cannot read and write, and no
person shall be elected member of the force
without the consent of majority of tho board.
The board shall also have the appointment
of the committing magistrate at the Central
Station in the said city, as also of the COM
mittipg magistrates of the different police
districts that the said board may hereafter
create in the Metropolitan Police district.
They shall have the entire control aud mln-
agement of the Fire Alarm and Police Tele-
| graph of the said city, as we'll as the control,
| appointment of, and dismissal of all persons
| connected with the care and management of
said telegraph. The said board shall have
| power to purchase ground necessary for the
| erection of new station-houses, if they deem
station-houses necessary. They shall also
| have power to purchase or erect new station
| houses, or contract for the erection of new
station-houses from timeg to time, as said
| Police Commissioners shall deem necessary
| for police purposes.
1t is hereby made the duty of Select and
| Common Councils, by ordinance, to appro-
pirate, within sixty days after requisition
| made upon them by said commissioners, such
sum or sums of money as the said Board of
| Commissioners may require for the purpose
| of this act. The said board shall, from time
| to time, submit to Councils estimates of the
sums required for the maintenance of the
said force. All warrants for the payment of
money drawn under the provisions of this
act shall be drawn by the president aud
countersigned by the clerk ia accordance
with existing laws.
Section g. The said board shall hold daily
| Commissioners Court, to be composed of not
less than three commissioners, which shall be
open to the public for the trial of members
Of tie police charged with offenses, and
for the purpose of hearing such complaints
against any member of the force as shall be
preferred by any citizen. For the purposes
of this act any member of said board shall
have power to administer an oath or affirma-
tion.
Section T. All acts or parts of acts incon-
sistent with any Of the foregoing provisions