The sun., 1890-11-16
THE POLICEMAN'S NEW ALLY.
NEW FORK WOFULLY sxszHDHASD
IN USING ELRC1RIc1rx AZ
THIEF CATCHER

GSs Eneisaey ert the Police wssiA be Az.
most Doubled by the Asoptisa or .
street signai systsn-CiaSSins no l.s.x.
Or Necessary ana Street Brawis Ai.oss
pstaows Whore u 10 II Use-Ths wou.
Asrful work or the Systen n Dosssu-A
CITIZEN shoaid be Able % Can . rsIiee.
,,su Just as ne Can . Fire Eneias-A
True Description or shs Apparatus.
New York Is Justly proud Of her police. Not
only Ii 1t tho largest. but 1t 10 the most thor
.ouxhly organized ana the best disciplined force
m the country. In personnel, skill. and courage
n ia unsurpassed By that OF any big city. But
In one important respect the Police Depart.
mept OF New York is away behind tho times
IL has failed to make electricity Its partnsr and
ally. and in neglectlng TO do this 1t has
sacrificed At leasts third OF tho Ell
cheney which 1t might possess. It Is
more tfus to-day than ever that "there
10 ono thing the criminal classes cannot
beat electricity" Other large towns found
ths out long ago. and ut least seventy.ilve
American cties aro now equipped with some
system OF electric police alarm. In some re-
spscts resembling the now universal IRE alarm
nsgraph. New York is. In fact. the only im.
vorant town In tho country which is not thus
psotected. and 1t is high time that tho dc.
Deiency was made good. The unanimous judg-
mont OF the authorities OF the cities which have
saop,ed It is that the adoption Of good signal
system Is equal to al increase OF fully 80 per
cent. in police force. As o measure of
economy. therefore. rs we'll as OF rrogress and
efficiency. there Is no excuse for longer delay
in supplying the metropolis with this i'm
portnnt provision for public safety.
Within few yeais the Police Com mission
es, predecessors OF tho present Board. have
s1perimented with n great variety OF signal
systems. 1t was even decided at one time to
adopt one OF them. but the reorganized Com.
mission reversed this action. and they we're
probably wise In doing 80. for the system pro-
losed. there is good reason for fearing. would
have been too complicated for successful prac-
tieal work The mater is now in abeyance,
and the delay has perhaps some points of ad-
vantage Thorough tests In other cities have
resulted Ia some improvements which have
brought tho systom t. point probably as neur
lerfeo.ion a> any which will be reached, SO
that New York can now equip herself with the
very hest police signal telegraph In use
New forks use OF electricity In the Police
Department has not advanced beyond the
adoption Of the old-iashioned al telegraph
ior communication between station houses
ad Headlr arter-. This old-fogy device was
discarded b. other cities as soon as tele ones
came into use and lon,, before tie invention OF
henodern police signal systems. Why New
York has stuck to 1t is difficult to imagine.
By tncessant bell ringing. much grinding OF
treadles. the study OF q complicated code OF
signals. and following the erratic course OF
needle on dial. message can be sent
i"m the Superintendent to police Captain
d his station at speed not greater
than one.Iuarter that OF pen on
PAPER. This bunglinR. cumbersome arrange.
nent could be done AWAY, with In three daysby
sIt,r,rments Ia,, and sttashne Telephones to The ex-
nobody seems to know The adoption Of this
necessary I improvement ts quite distinct from
TTss connection oi The station houses with
TO DO with system Of street signalling. Each
complete In Itself, with the station house as
" centre, and having no direct connection
.,aTlhs The general plap and purpose of q police
HghA system are pretty well understood.
cuch system provides communication be-