Telegram-herald., 1890-09-12
ACREATCTY'S NEED
A Least Ten nfera pstrolmaa are
Wsntea DtrecAy
gRnD glPnS I'D eIsEg CITES


fsres - Asy ie shs Sseauy.
"Poilce aaa Couf has often c4llsa
puosie atsealon 10 tie enormous
aaiouul ol work 3oBe ~ the po.ioe de-
prtmsnt u las citg. Ihis work has
10, cap,ared the imagination y res-
son oi ~ qaaaiAy aD4 we ghts heeAase
iaefa Drawn and musc.e ale not, IA
these DAYS, tbiass 10 wonder At BaI
the great variety OF toe work which tae
police are called upon u do, aaa
whch TIE police eetually do. Was one
of the tsst thngs watch "Po.ice and
Court looked upon wth astoushment.
II there isa lost child, II there is a
found child, Il there is runaway
horse, II there isa eaughl horse, II there
Is hre, u there Is an alarm OF hrei u
there is a hole IN the sidewalk If there
is p.ace where there Is 30 Sidewalk; i
there Is narrow escape from accident
II there IS a crazy man; If there Is q
man not quite crazy If there IS any
thing unusual; II there IS something al
together usual if tho lamps are
los; II the lamps are hgh i
the lamrs do not burn, or
il the electric lamps are out, II a horse
Is too-longed h.tchsd, II a horse IS un-
hltched; L 4 man is SICK If person IS
poisoned, If dog Is dead; II a neigh
bOrhOod has 4 bad OdOr; II ,street-car
wabbies, II saloon bar be not hidden,
on II u be 700 hlddeni It, and n aud II
20 q million particulars. Any citizen
can see a thousand more details than
are here suggested, recorded on the
daily record, II he Will merely step IN
and read. The point which Police
and Court" here makes is that these
uuCCunted duties are done IN Grand
Rapids IN way that distinguishes this
city from ali the cities OF the civilized
world. 1t would be hard 10 prove a
negative, and 10 would be easy TO affirm
what it is difficult 90 prove or dlsprove
but police and Court can say 10 the
Grand Rapids public that 1t believes this
TO be the city which makes the largest
demands OF any city IN this country
upon them who are set 10 guard city 5
sa.eiy.
let us suppose, for instance, that the
people here collected number $4,000.
Our police force Is as follows: | chief,
! captain, ! lieutenant, / sergeant, 4 de-
tecuycs. officers detailed with patrol
wagon, court officer, l truant officer,
"a patrOlman, 4 drivers. Total, 20.
That Is 70 say, we have one officer for
more than every 900 of population.
In comparison with the above, the
following figures are given for those
who are partial to facts:
Albany, y. I.-PopulatiOn, l02, 900;
l chief, > captains, 10 sergesnts, Ill
patrolmen, 10 upernumeraries; total
i43; one officer for every 700 oil 'popu-
laIion.
Allegheny, Pa.-Populaton, l20. 900.
Total number of officers, lis; one police
officer for every ,Oi3 Of population.
Atlanta, Population, $4,000;
officers, ia; one officer for every $40 of
population.
Cambridge, Mass.-Population Co.
| 300; total officers, 80; one officer for
every S62 of population.
Charleston, ;. C.-Populatlon, CO. 900;
total officers, 81; one police officer Tor
every 659 of population.
Columbus. O.-Populston, 10000;
total officers, III; one police officer for
every 1896 OF population.
Denver, Colo.-Population, 125, 900;
total officers, l30; one for every 96l.
Detroit, one for every 562. Fall
River, Mass, one for every 1872. Jersey
City, \. j., one for every 73l. Los
Angeles. Cal, one for every 609. Louis
vile, Ky, one for every 932. New
Haven, Conn, one for every $50. Troy,
y. Y, one for every 730. Worcester,
Mass, one for every Sl7. Grand Rap
ids, Mich, one tor every 1910.
Ii the above cities may fairly repre-
sent the civilized world, who Will say
that Grand Rapids is well or III gov
erned? The facts and figures surely
shut OF al adverse criticisms that can
be made upon this department.. The
enlargement of police protection in this
city may be called for without the
slightest imputatIOn upon our already
Overworked men.
Police and Court can say, upon
authority. that the following parts OF
the city are fairly well protected Be-
y0nd these precincts every man may be
said TO be bls own protector:
Canal-sI., from East Leonard TO Mon
roe; from Monroe 10 DiyislOn-st., thence
% Hall-st.; West Bridge-st., full
length; Waterloo, from Monroe TO
gas works; Ionia, from Monroe TO and
about union depot; Front, from Bridge
So. south TO Shawmut-ave.; West Full
ton, from Front west TO stra ght, and
Shawmut-Ove. the same; West Leonard f,
from Canal 10 Broadway; Alpine-ave..
from D., G.. II. q ". depot 90 northern
limits, 6Tancvllle-aye., fl ON West Ful-
ton 20 Ourth-Gve.; the vicinity Of East
Brdge-st., east to Prospect, south to
Cresont-ave., and west as lar as Ran
som-si.
A glance at the map viii show that
the aoove district comprises but a very
small portion Of the city need inr pro
lection. NhIle the district covered is
undoubtedly that pOTiion OF the city
which most needs protection. there are
iu many other portions of the city cen
ters Of activity from which the depart
ment could give protection if o had the
mon. The corner Of Canal and LYON
takes one man constantly. aud Ottawa
and Monroe, and Canal and last Bridge
take maa each part % toe time. %
guard thc pecple fFom tne dangers oi
street car tra.lC. These men are paid
~h.l ) by &c eity,whcn their support
g proper charge Upon tie railway COM
pau1es.
O. who have pol ce matters most
at sr. and ia mind in tne ciy srr of
the opn on tuat at .east ten additional
fatroluen arc the imperative need -
tae department.. if the protection 81
Grand Bapds IS up % that which IS
gwen 20 ether e.tles of tic country.