Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-09

OF Police says ABOUT OSSSNA'O
Force and How It's Organization
Would Increase the Efficiency OF the
Police.
During the past year a number OF
crimes. more or less aggravated in de-
gree. have been perpetrated in this city,
and the principals, in several instances,
have escaped detection. A reporter OF
the MORNING NEWS called on Gen. R.
n. Anderson. Chief Of Police, and stated
that he wished to learn why it is that the
detectives failed TO apprehend the au-
thors Of the crimes, or even to learn who
the perpetrators were.
Gen. Anderson replied: ''There is no
detective force in Savannah. The police
is a we'll drilled company Of soldiers, VINO
patrol the city, guarding 1t as they would
an encampment. whenever any disturb
anee is heard or when they see an otfense
being committed they can arrest the par
ties concerned in it, or if they are directed
TO 20 TO a certain place and 70 do certain
thing thew will carry out the orders OF
their suDeriers to the letter, but they are
not detectives. Hence one Of the most
essential requisites to we'll protected
city is lacking"
a
with which a good detective could have
been simultaneously emplOyedE'
.The fire which occurred few nights
ago at FerTelPs restaurant, on BroughtOn
street was one of the boldest attempts to
destroy property that has been made in
this CITY for some time. There were par
ties left on duty in the establishments one OF
whom had the key to the storeroom In DIS
Docket. l understand that he went to
81 ,at entered store
room and made the most detailed and de-
Iiberate preparatiOns to successfully set
fire to the place. Other precautions were
taken TO insure the success OF the plan,
and vet the author of that Offense has not
been arrested. The young gentleman
who was in charge of the place,
and who had the key, is not
charged with the CRIME; ms
character and habits are good. Hence 1T
would be the task of a detective to ascer-
tain who was the party who undertook to
destroy not only that property, but VINO
Indirectly placed adjacent buildings and
their contents in jeopardy. Do you
imagine that if this attempt had been
made in a city where there is good de-
tective that the matter would not have
been at least partially, if not wholly,
cleared up by this timer
ssWhat other cases can be citedY'
oThere is hardly a day when l do not
receive letters and kilograms requesting
the police here to render some service.
All | can do is to instruct an officer on a
| certain beat to look after the matter while
he is making his rounds, or to
| learn if such a described party
| is i'm a certain portion of the city. Inc
| officer does as well as any person would
probably do under the circumstances, but
| he has no time to watch the mornings
and outgoings of places, perhaps Tor
hours. such cases have to be worked up,
and only man who is naturally gifted
| for that kind Of service can do the matter
| Justice. 1t is easy enough, when receive
| a telegram that party IS on tram
or steamer coming to Savannah and
| requesting us 10 arrest nun ~.
arrival, but if the fugitive once leaves the
depot or wharf he can avoid being de-
tected. or get out of the city again II he
| is ANYWAYS shrewd. A few years ago a
Darty came here from Augusta to night a
| duel. / received a telegram giving the
| names of the parties with request to
prevent the meeting. / gave the names
on a separate piece OF paper TO one OF the
notice with instructions to walk into
| the hotels and examine the
registers and say nothing. Instead or
| following the directions he asked the ho-
| tel clerk if any of the parties, mention
| ing the names, were stopping there. The
| fact of the inquiry having been made was
reported to the duelling party, who speed
| ily left the hotel. The duel was fought
| and one of the principals killed. Yet that
policeman was one OF the best ana most
| reliable of men. He was not detective,
| however. He gave himself wholly away,
so to speak,
.Whv do YOU not assume the role of a
| detective yourself p
Gen. Anderson smiled and replied
| THAT is the question that some OF the
| Board of Aldermen asked me when l
made a request of them for permission TO
employ a detective in connection with
| the police. There is work enough mere 10
engage the entire time of detective, and
I c0uld not venture to assume that work
without neglecting my regular efhclal
duties as Chief of Police. There is a
great deal of routine work for Chief OF
| Police which must be got rid of promptly
| and Systematically. 1t will not do TO
allow it to accumulate. Besides Chlet
of Police cannot undertake 10 acL on
many occasions when the services OF an
experienced detective are required. DE
cannot absent himself from his Office Tor
| three or four days, and often for week
| or more, except at long intervals. A de-
| tective should be one of the auXillarles to
a police force, vet acting under rowing
| commission, with instructions TO report
| only to the Chief When required the po-
| lice would act in concert with MN. 1ney
| have a fine detective force in Charleston.
Some time ago l received a letter from
lady in Montgomery, Ala, stating that
| her daughter had left home and she be-
| lieved she was in Savannah. She wished
| to learn where she was, with the view OF
| retaining her, / learned that the girl
| had left Savannah and gone to Charles
ton. 1 communicated with the
| Chief of Police in that city. About
week afterwards L received a
reply stating that the girl Went TO New
| Orleans and stopped at house, giving
the number and street. That she then
went to Memphis and lived in house,
giving the number and name of the street
| Thence she went to Chicago, and after re-
naming there awhile went to lndianapo-
lis. The letter concluded by stating
''YOu will now find her at No. - OF -
street in that city. l call that good de-
tective work, when the time taken to per-
| form it is considered"
Glow many detectives would be re-
auired for city like savannah
some good detective would be sufl-
Gent"
"What would it cost the cityf"
stThe pay of two priYates of the police
| force would be sufficient to secure the
| services of a good detective. He should
have the rank of Lieutenant of Police
| and be nominated by me, subject to the
approval of bhe City Council"
"The pay of two privates on the police
| is equivalent to what sum annuallyW
About $1,000. He should not be per-
mitted to receive money or any gilt from
other sources, and especially from those
people whose property he might succeed
in restoring"
''Would it not be necessary to have a
fund appropriated by the City Council, in
addition to the salary of the detective, to
| meet necessary expenses incurred by
him in working up cases and in travelling
at times from point to pointp
Eyes, but that fund should only be
| drawn after the detective had submitted
| his expense account to the Mayor and
| Chief. Or, if any amount should be re-
| quired as an advance on such expense ac-
count, it should not be granted without
the Endorsement of the Mayor and Chief"
''Who should be the custodian Of that
fund.-"
1.-The City Treasurer"
eff you allowed a detective $1,000 an
nually, would not that be equivalent to
adding two privates to the police forcep
mo. sir. / suggested to the City Coun-
Gil some time ago that if they would allow
me detective, when two vacancies
should have occurred on the police L
would not reappOint two prlvates, but
would prefer a good detective instead"
Then the only additional expense
would be the fund which you have sug-
gested?"
Yes, sir; but the entire amount of the
fund might not be drawn in one year."
ssWhat sum would be necessary to ap-
propriate for the fund referred top
Mot more than $500 annually"
The Bathing Season.