The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-04-12
TO UNIFORM THE POLICE.
THE HERALD.
Salt Lake City, Utah.

On Tuesday evening bill was. intro
duced in the City Council providing fol
the putting of the city police into uni
form. 1t is hardly necessary for THE
HERALD to remark that the bill has lis
hearty sympathy and support. We
hope it will pass. For years we have
urged the same thing, believing it
would be for the best interests of the
community to designate the city peace
officers in way that they can be known
by all. We believe, also, that it will be
better for the officers themselves, the
uniform carrying with it an authority
which the average citizen respects, for
he knows that behind the uniform is q
power which he cannot safely defy
The ordinary individual will surrender
and yield to an officer, where lie would
desperately fight private citizen, and
only as private citizens DO our
policeman appear, until they explain
that they are officers, or exhibit their
badge of office in the form of a star,
which anybody can duplicate and don.
There has been but one argument
against the policemen wearing uniform,
and that is, that in citizens dress they
are able to hide their identity and do
detective work. The argument is not a
good one, and never has been a good
one. The criminal classes, those people
who are engaged in conspiracies and
wrong doing, arefamiliar with the faces
of the policemen, knowing them as we'll
in uniform as in citizens attire. There
is not policeman On the regular force
who cannot enter gambling house, an
unlawful saloon. or other place as
readily in a conspicuous uniform as in
any suit he may don. Furthermore,
detective duty should be and is per
formed mainly by others than the street
officers. If it should at any time be
deemed necessary for a policeman to
appear as private citizen, it |
will be an easy matter for
him to lay aside his uniform.
Years ago, when everybody knew
everybody else. the policemen being
familiar with all and all being familiar
with the policemen, uniform was not
necessary. But times have changed.
The general acquaintance which once
existed does not now prevail. Those
who frequent the streets where the
police are stationed are largely !
strangers, unknown to the officers and
not kuo wing the latter. Three men oat
of four, if they require the services of d
policeman, will have to ask somebody
to point the officer out to them. though
the latter may be the very person ad-
dressed. In other cities the pei; ce are
applied to constantly as guides as well
as protectors, By strangers, the chief
duty of the policeman being that of a
civil gentleman.
In this connection, it is suggested
that when the police shall be put into
uniforms, the officers will be required to
perform duty on certain beats at Ger
tain hours, and that absence from the
beat within those hours, except for good
cause, be punished in some manner, il
not by dismissal from the force. There
is no mood reason why the police should
not be held to a strict accountability.
They are employed by the public, are
well paid, ard the people have the right
to demand that they will perform their
service faithfully and with credit to
and the community.