The record-union., 1891-10-05
How MUCH LONGER I?
1t Is About Time the City Had a Po-
lice Patrol Wagon.
Hackmen VIII Not Take Any More
City Business-Too Much Trouble
Getting Their Money.

lit is very evident that the City
Trustees don't care whether Sacramento
has police department or not" said
Chief of Police Drew in a spirit of dis
gust.
'Of course" he resumed, "the ambu-
lance question has become what in slang
oom is known as chestnut but never
Jheless it is a vital matter with us. How
three men Of reason can meet weekly,
month after month--men who are sup
posed to minister to the wants OF the
city-and not see the necessity of an am
bulance patrol wagon for the police de-
partment can't understand. It's shame
ful, now, and that's just the plain Eng
lish of it.
PAY FOR ITSELF.
Look at the bills for express-wagon
hire and haek-hire that pile in every
month for hauling sick and injured per-
sons to the Receiving Hospital! How
long would it take those expenditures, if
directed in the right way, to pay for a
dozen patrol wagons? Not very long. l
can assure you. If anyone doubts
for moment that patrol wagon here is
a crying necessity all | ask is that they
Jail office. What will they see? Well,
just this: The telephone will ring in, and
information will be received that John
Doe is drunk again, beating his wife and
trying to murder his whole famiiy-and
that an officer is wanted immediately
Now, what are we going to do? John
Doe will have TO annihilate his family
that's all-and we can't stop him. Our
small force Of officers are scattered all
over the city, patrolling their various
beats and we have no way of communi-
eating with them. We cannot afford to
keep any men at the station, except the
Jailer, and of course he can't leave. Now
all we can do is to
TO SEND OUT A 'TRUsTY'
To the nearest beat-and that is usually
Third and l. streets-to notify the officers
there to look after John Doe. While all
this is going on John Doe may have mur-
dered a dozen families. But that is not
the worst of it. By taking the officers
away from Third and l. streets we leave
Unguarded the most dangerous quarter
in the city, and just the place where the
denizens invariably take advantage of
the officers absence. Now, / am not eX-
aggerating matters particle. Just such
predicaments as | have described happen
nightly, and often three or four times in
tWenty-four hours. In addition, we have
calls for the transportation to the hos
plLil Oi SICK anu WOuuueu persons. very
few hackmen viii carry bleeding per-
son in their vehicles, and the best we can
do is to get an eXpress-wagon. / know
that it is almost criminal TO jounce an in
jured or probably dying person over the
cObbles in one Of those rickety concerns,
but what else can we do?
Now, just see what we could do with
patrol wagon. 1t would be kept in
readiness for work at all hours, Just as a
fire engine is, and would be easy of ac-
cess by telephone. Now, suppose we get
word about John Doe and his rampage
In jltfy the patrol wagon is out, and,
passing along several quiet beats, picks
up two or three officers. They are on the
scene OF the trouble in few minutes, bel
ligerent Joe Doe is handcuffed and tossed
into the wagon, and before he knows
what has happened he is safely housed in
Jail. The same way in cases of accidents
the patrol wagon is provided with a
swinging couch in which the wounded
person can be carried without iarring
him bit, and he is landed at the hospital
none the worse because of his trip"
CAPTAIN LEES EFFORTS.
Police Captain Lee is even more pro-
nounced in his ideas on this subject than
his superior.
''I have begged and prayed for this
patrol-wagOn until l am thoroughly
worn out" he said when spoken to on
hLIt SNlDJCCl. w Il6u was InleI pointed
out the need of this patrol-ambulance to
the Trustees, but they were deaf to my
appeals. The newspapers aided me
nobly, but still the Trustees needed US
not. Many and many a PERSONS life
has been sacraticed through having been
jounced over the cobbles in an express
wagon, whereas it was a notorious fact
that had it not been for that trip the doc
tors could have saved their lives.
But one thing that Chief Drew neg
Iected TO tell you about has put us in a
worse plight than ever. Formerly we
could now and then secure a hack or
Gurney to bring persons to the hospital
or prison. Now we can't. Night before
last we arrested man out in the suburbs
who was a dangerous individual, who
was unable to walk to the prison.
j summoned a hack, but was informed
that the police department could not hire
any more hacks. 1t was explained to
me that the hackmen were tired of hay
ing their bills haggled over and cut
down, and had come to the conclusion
that they didn't want any more police
business. The Gurney people stopped
carrying for us long ago. This leaves us
an pretty mess, doesn't il? No express
wagons are TO be had at night, and the
hacks won't carry anyone for us. It's an
outrage that city of the size and i'm
portance of Sacramento should be left
thus unprotected. The police depart
ment might just as well be done away
with. II is virtually powerless."