National Republican., 1883-09-08
MAJOR DYES REPORT.
Facts in Regard to the Police Department
During the Past Fiscal Year.
Suggestions of Changes Necessary-Rccom-
nendations as 60 Salaries, SO.


has been completed.
The report shows that there are 231 men
oil told on the force. The changes for the
year were; Total force on June 81, 1882 234
there were then vacancies, 8 members re-
signed, 10 were honorably discharged, were
1egisatod out of office, z discharged, died, 8
offices were abolished, 1 still vacant, and
there were 80 appointments. The mounted
force was reduced to - men on July l, and
the number of privates, including detectives,
increased to2i5
Mai. Dye compares the number of mon on
the force with the number in other cities,
which shows how insufficient the force is to
protect the city. An increase in the force Of
the telephone and signal telegraph service is
recommended.
An increased police force and also increased
salaries are recommended. Seven sergoants
should be appointed. The salaries OF the
lioutonants should be increased, as under the
present state of affairs, a lieutenant receiving
but S5 moro per month than sergeant and
less than detective, is very unjust. The
salary of the night inspector should be
greater than the other lieutenants.
The promotions from first TO second class
privates should be in consideration Of five
years service, and the number of second class
privates should be increased.
The salaries of the ambulance and van
driver should be increased. A station keeper
Is needed at Uniontown. Three additional
mounted men are required.
Tables are furnished, showing the dispo-
sition of the force, time lost by sickness, &c.
During tho last quarter of the year 1882
one man in every twenty-four was sick, and
during the previous quarters one in eighteen.
During the last quarter Of 1888 only one in
forty y-five was sick, which the report attributes
to the care of the surgeons.
The purchase of a site for n now station
house for tho sixth precinct is urged, and
more suitable building for the Uniontown
substation.
An appropriation of $1,000 to build a stable
on lot in rear Of the first precinct station for
the vans and ambulances is recommended.
The statistics of crimes during the year
show that during the first three quarters
there was an average of 100 burglaries, robber-
les, and larcenies each quarter, and during
the last quarter there were 140.
The burglaries averaged AZ during the first
three quarters, and % during the last.
The causes for the decrease of crime are
assigned to be the passage of the housebreak-
ing and gaming laws, the removal and in
dictment of the six detectives and consequent
decentralization of the criminal class" &c.
This last, however, the report says, now at
tracts criminals from other cities, who be-
lieve themselves unknown to the new detec-
tives
ihO bOptNlbgt SuOiby, anu dulilVy VI bu0
newly appointed detectives is said to more
than compensate for the temporary lack of
knowledge of criminals from other cities,
The arrest and prosecution of criminals Is
regarded as more important than the recovery
of stolen property, while to the time of the
appointment of the present detectives the
opposite theory appears TO have been followed.
The assistance of good citizens, says Maj
Dye, is urged by giving professional thieves
an opportunity to ply their vocation. During
the first quarter of the first year, when the
old detective system was i'll operation, the
property it seems was the only object of de-
tective labor. Since that time it has been
the object to capture the thief as we'll as to
recover the property. The community, he
says, can only be protected in this way GER
tainly not by compromising with the vam-
pires, who would destroy society itself
Ninety-one criminals were sent from the
Jail to the Erie county penitentiary during
the year. sent there to serve sentences
1.-The statistics show that the city suffers less
from criminals, in proportion to population,
than any other city in the union.
Notifications of the laws regarding pawn
shops, junkshops, and second hand dealers
are recommended which will, the report says
facilitate the recovery of stolen goods. 1t is
suggested that the bonds for vagrants and
suspicious characters be ranged from $50 to
$780, instead Of being limited to 500. 1t is
also suggested that the laws be modified
which govern policy and lottery, the excise
law, the liquor law, fireworks, gas lamps,
newsboys, bootblacks, hucksters, lodging
houses hack stands opium dens. provision
for disabled policemen, asylums, and trans
portation of paupers. The reports of the
property clerk, sanitary officer, and harbor-
master are embraced in the report. The
tables of arrests for the year show that there
were 15,607 arrests, 1881 being males and
1925 females. OF these numbers the largest
number Of arrests (3,692) were made in the
fifth and the smallest number 1876 in the
sixth precinct.
Among the classes of offenses there were 81
arrests for assaults with intent to kill, for
attempted rape, for bigamy for backing
policy, 9 for libel, 1 for infanticide 13 for
keeping gambling houses, IL for murder, 3 for
perjury, for passing counterfeits, ID for SELL
ing lottery tickets 7d3 for vagrancy, 3,51S for
intoxication, so for burglary, 20 for embezzle-
ment, Ill for grand larceny, for highway
robbery. so for hOusebreaking, &c. OF the
prisoners 69l3 were white and 6,661 colored,
and 10 nationalites were represented Fines
were imposed in 4,744 cases. amounting to
$52,79s; 6,s62 were dismissed; six prisoners
escaped, Sc The oflenses against the person
aggregated 1851 by male offenders and 2lO6
by female
The otienses against property, 3,720 by
males and $50 by females.
There were during the year IA attempted
burglares, 81 attempted robberies, IA at.
tempted suicides, 2s6 accidents reported, %
abandoned, and "a dead infants found, 176
fires attended, 146 lost children returned,
1873 dodgers accommodated, and SO sudden
deaths reported.
The estimated value of stolen property for
the year was $4l, 1925, of which over So, 900
was in Georgetown, and over $1,000 in the
fifth precinct, with only 81, 900 in East Wash
ington. The amount recovered was estimated
at 0,335,25, of which 5000 was recovered in
the fifth precinct aud 1000 by the detectives.
In closing his report Maj. Dye says Your
attention is also invited to the statute, which
makes il necessary, in order TO become a
member Of the police force, that the applicant
should have an honorable discharge from the
army or navy. The enactment Of this law
doubtless was in the interest of the union
volunteers Eighteen years have passed, and
but few remain of that class of ap-
plicants who are not disqualified by
reason of over age. So long as the
law remains as 10 is we must reject under its
provisions nearly every applicant who has
not served in either tho regular army or
navy, however worthy the applicant be in
comparison with some whose applications are
successful. l must therefore recommend that
the law be abrogated or 80 amended as TO leave
IL discretionary with the commissioners to
confne or not their selections to those appli-
cants who have an honorable discharge from
the ar my or navy.