Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-21
MORE POLICEM EN-.
FORT WORTH NEEDS THEM TO
PROTECT Her PEOPLE.
Sensible Suggestions Made by City Marshal
Maddox on the Subject--The
Rule in Other Cities.

Fort Worth has been growing rapidly in
the past few years, but with the growth of
population the increase in number of police
men has not kept pace. This
city is great railroad cen
ter. and those petty thieves who
find city of activity good place for them
to ply their nefarious calling find it an easy
matter to reach Fort Worth. A city OF
"a 900 people cannot be well guarded by four
teen policemen is the Judgment of all who
have given the matter the consideration it
deserves.
City Marshal Maddox has given the sub
ject much attention, both before and since
his election to Office, and his opinion should
have much weight on the subject.
Marshal Maddox said yesterday, Il have a
natural ambition and desire to make Fort
Worth the most orderly city in Texas. |
want to see it 9 city Stunned by crooks,
thieves and vagabonds, but these
classes can not be driven out
and kept out unless we have adequate
police protection. Thieves and thugs are
always alert and the same alertnesS should
be found in the municipal authorities IN
running thieves and thugs into the jail. In
all the cities of the country the almost
universal rule is to have at least one police
man for every 1000 people. Fort Worth has
d 900 people. or nearly that number, but
has only fourteen policemen. The council,
in my Judgment, should just as soon as
possible increase the force to twenty-four
men. Dallas has $1,000 people with forty
two policemen. In San Antonio, | am
told, the number of policemen is still
greater There should be at least
two mounted policemen on the South
Side and two mounted policemen in the ter
ritory north of the Texas and Pacific to
guard the residence portions. will try to
have the patrol or hurry-up wagon moved
on duty there constantly a mounted
policeman. so that at any hour of the day
or night q message can be sent to the GEN.
tral police station that an officer is needed,
and he will with the patrol wagon proceed
Immediately to the place from which
the call came. l would also have the city
divided into beats and have the patrolmen
tricts. If the city had a force of police
men sufficiently large to do it, 1 would
detail several officers to guard people at the
depots during train time from the wiles
and Vaccinations Of the confidence men,
pickpockets and other thieves who
find it so easy now to rob and
defraud strangers. As was stated in TIE
GAZETTE this morning policeman is not a
burden to the taxpayer, he earns his salary
every month by the cases he makes and the
fines coming into the city treas
ury BY his arrest of those
who violate the city ordinances. 1 think it
would also be q good thing to double the
number of sanitary policemen. The warm
weather will soon be here and it will
be a simple impossibiIity for two
men to see that the city is kept clean. The
salaries of two policemen will be a small
item compared to the vast amount Of good
they can accomplish in seeing that the
city is kept clean. 1t would beyond a
doubt be worth thousands of dollars an
nually to our good citizens could they say
the thief and law breaker cannot live here
unless he lodges in the city or county Jail
and again Fort Worth is the cleanest city
in the state. / am confident the city council
has the best interests of Fort Worth at
heart and will carefully look into the 9ues-
ton of more police protection