Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-08-02
The Mayors Address to the Police Force.


After swearing in the officers OF the police
force yesterday Mayor DowDham addressed
them az follows:
Capt. James T Webster, Lieut.. James Smith
and Members of the Police Force:
Gentlemen With your oath of office you
to-day assume the duties OF policemen for
the city of Alexandria FIR the ensuing two
years. Those of you who have served Oh
the force for years are familiar with the du
ties and requirements. 1t is hardly neces.
sary for me to remind you that the office to
which you have been chosen is one of i'm
portance, and one in which you may be call
ed upon to display courage and discretion
From my knowledge of the Alexandria pc
lice force they are, as class, always ready
and willing 10 take the abuse sometimes
heaped upon them for dischargiug and neg
lect of duty, for the policemen are expected
to be present whenever the peace is disturb
ed, 1t matters not the time or place it may
occur, and if not there he is lin the minds oil
many dereict in bis duty. can Judge the
efficiency of the officers pretty we'll by com
pairing the number of arrests as shown by the
record with those who are on the same beats.
AS for instance, 10 the discharge of the dis
agreeable duty of reporting persons who
have unlicensed dogs on their premises
observe some Of the officers have not re
ported any dogs since Instructions were
given to report all owners of dogs on which
the taxes had not been paid. When l gave
those instructions II was not intended that
citizens in certain sections of the city should
be obliged to pay their licenses and others
be relieved from payment because the officer
for fear Of mourning the ill-will of the per
sons whom he must know have dogs) or for
some other reason, failed to do his duty.
When an order is Issued from this Office by me
through the Captain or Lieutenant, mean
for it to be executed, and by the whole force,
and | desire to communicate my instructions
to you through your Captain and Lieutenant
have repeatedly given instructions in refer.
enoe to The violation CT city ordinances by
the railroads running through our streets,
but it remains for a citizen to make the
complaint and have one of them prosecuted.
This is not as it should be. l receive letters
from persons, or they come to see me and
complain of certain violations of the law;
report to the Captain or Lieutenant and be
to you. presume my instructions will be
obeyed, when to my establishment in few
days | have the came complaint, and at last
the citizen becomes disguised with the
mayer and the whole police force and in
my opinion very often property and
abandons all hope of getting relief
from that source, all owing to the fact that
my instructions were not carried out AS l
stated to you on former occasion, it is ne.
cessary, in order to have an efficient police
force, there should be as little fault finding
among the officers as possible. l find some
of the men are inclined to criticise the acts
| CT their fellow officers as well ss myself A.
evidence to what | alude will read al ar
tce from one of the daily papers. l de.
sire to impress upon the minds of the force,
one and all, that it is your duty to arrest
persons, and there it ends. Mine Is to try
them. You who have served one or more
terms on the force are Tor should bel famil
lar enough with the laws to know when the
evidence is sufficient to make case before
you make the arrest, and should govern
personal feelings get the best of you
provocation, and get the false i'm
and abuses you is d case of assault. l have
endeavored to protect you in the past, and
wi. do SO in the future in the discharge of
your duties by furnishing to the extent of
the law all those who in any way inter fere
with you in the discharge of your duties.
As you are now elected for term of two
years, | hope you will all get uniforms
in keeping with the office you hold, that you
may present q creditable appearance on the
streets and let the City Council see you ap
preciate their kindness in electtng you to
the positions you occupy. l will clos my
remarks by stating that ell | will expect
end require, Is that one and sll do their
duty in dignifed and gentlemanly manner,
that the reputation of the Alexandria
police force may remain, a. heretofore.
above reproach.