Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-20

go that they could use them in case OF
an emergency.
| wish to call the attention of your
honorable body particularly to some OF
the exhibits in the within report:
| Exhibit GA" shows that in addition
| to 1909 dodgers accommodated, insane
persons apprehended, persons brought
to the receiving hospital for medical
treatment, lost children returned to
their parents, etc., the police depart
ment has during the fiscal year made
2530 arrests, and of these the very great
number of 1869 have been convicted of
the offense charged, 81 convicted of
lesser offenses, 81 held to answer in
felony charges, % convicted of felony
and sent to Folsom or San Quentin, and
% cases are pending. The securing of
such very high percentage of convic-
tions shows very thorough work by the
officers.
Exhibit "B" is a summary of the
cases in which the prisoners were
charged with serious crimes.
Exhibit &c" shows that in the veal
just closed lost and stolen property to
the very large amount of $42, 1877 was re-
ported to the department, and that we
recovered property of the value OF $780,
386.75, which l believe I can Justly
claim is very creditable showing.
In large proportion of the cases
mentioned in exhibit "B," the
arrests were made by the detec-
tives, and il was through their efforts
that most of the stolen property was re-
covered. take pleasure in mentioning
the work done by the members of the
detective department. They have been
very energetic and efficient. Their hours
are long, and their duties extra hazard
GUS aid require extra skill, and I urge
and hope that your honorable body will
increase their pay, so that it may be
more nearly in proportion to the duties
performed. The secretary is also very
poorly paid. His responsibilities and
duties demand a much larger salary
than he now receives.
Exhibit I'D" shows the great amount
of work done by the department in serv-
ing court papers, subpenas, etc. This
work vas largely done by the mounted
officers.
Exhibit sc" contains large amount
of valuable information, showing,
among other things, that tue chain gang
performed 5197 days work during the
year.
Exhibit "H" shows that during the
year there were furnished to the prison
ers in the city Jail 81, 1856 meals. 1t also
shows what would have been the cost
under the old plan of having the meals
furnished by a restaurant, and shows
that by the adoption of the latter meth
cd there has been saved to the city the
very considerable sum of $1967. 10.
Exhibit 81" shows that $40 ,O91 .25 was
paid in fines in the police courts.
The other exhibits speak for them
selves, and are all, believe, worthy of
careful consideration.
1t has been the aim of the depart
ment, under the instructions of the
board of police commissioners, to rigidly
enforce the law in regard to gambling,
and l believe that the city is now more
free from gambling than ever before
There is now no open or notorious per-
centage game, or game that under the
law is gambling, in the city Of Los An
geles. There are some--too many
poker games kept running in the rear of
cigar stores and saloons, and they do
great damage to the young
men of this city, and furnish a
living for lot of wretches who
are too lazy to work, but under the law
of the state neither the parties conduct
ing the said games, nor the parties play
ing at them, can be convicted of gam
bling"
Lottery gambling is not easily eradi-
Gated. Arrests are made under great
difficulty, and it Is still more difficult to
secure conviction. Nevertheless, the
number of Chinese lotteries drawn in
this city, and the number of places
where Chinese and other lottery tickets
are sold, has been greatly reducedin the
past year.
The number OF pawnbrokers and other
dealers in secondhand goods has in
creased since my last report, but their
shops are at all times liable to police in
spection; are almost daily visited by the
detectives, and l believe that compare
lively few of the proprietors would
knowingly purchase stolen goods.
The houses Of prostitution and the
numbers OF the inmates thereof remain
about as at the time of my last report,
but war has been made on the pimps,
and believe that there are now less of
those vile beings in this city than at any
other time in years past.
One very serious cause of annoyance
and danger to the residents OF this city
is yearly growing-each winter brings
US an increased number of burglars,
safe blowers, and other skillful thieves
from the large cities of the east and
San Francisco. The police, however,
have recently made some important