Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-20

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poor condition, and if they are to be
humanity and public safety, l earnestly
recommend that some changes be made
at once. The Jail should be made more
| it safe place to detain hardened Grim.
inals. Separate apartments should be
provided for females and juvenile pris-
oners, so that they would not come in
contact with old and hardened crimi-
nails, and find that the state law de-
mands this. Apartments for the matron
should be provided in the building, 30
that she might always be in attendance
to search females arrested, to take
charge of sick women and children, and
to supervise work that the female pris-
oners might then be required to do,
such as mending blankets, the clothing
of the other prisoners, etc. A suitable
place for the detention of witnesses
should be provided, and find that this
is also demanded by the state law. The
whole sewer system of the Jail
and police headquarters should be
reconstructed. Every room in use
by the police department, the police
court rooms, and every corridor and
cell in the Jail is almost continually
filled with sewer gas, and the stencil is
so great at times as to almost prevent the
use of them. 1t might be possible to
make some of the changes required by
adding second story to the jail, but the
whole building is 80 poorly planned and
constructed, and the space is so limited,
that l earnestly recommend that it be
sold, and that the plan recently discussed
by your honorable body be at once
adopted, and a building suitable for the
police courts, the police department, q
receiving hospital and a roomy and sub
stantial modern Jail be built upon the
grounds adjoining the city hall. In a
we'll regulated police department the
central station should also contain, in
addition to the apartments above re-
ferred to, an armory and drill hall,
gymnasium, bath rooms and other sani-
tary improvements, and, above all, a
dormitory, where portion OF the force
not on duty could be held in reserve.
A branch police station is also very
much needed in the southern part OF the
city, and / suggest the corner of Main
and Washington streets, or the corner of
Figueroa and Washington streets, as
suitable location for the came.
A new patrol wagon is badly needed,
provided with improved ambulance at
tachments, and it should by all means
be covered. 1t sometimes happens that
persons of good repute are SO unfortu-
nate as to be taken into custody for the
violation of an ordinance or law, the
result, perhaps, of thoughtlessness on
their part, and it is not necessary or
right to take them through the streets
in an open wagon, and cause them great
modification, and it is very undesirable
on the part of the police. Furthermore,
the wagon is used as an ambulance, and
men and ladies and children stricken
down in street accidents, are taken to
their homes or to the receiving hospital
in it, and it is terribly humiliating for
the wounded one to be paraded before
the crowd of morbidly curious, that
street accident is certain to collect. Ii
new patrol wagon is provided, the old
one could be put in perfect repair, and
placed in reserve. In case OF a mishap
to the new wagon, substitute would be
conveniently at hand, or in case of bad
accidents in different parts of the city at
the same time, we would have two am
balances at our disposal.
The discussion of the use OF ambu-
lances brings to my mind a matter that
l wish to call to the most earnest atten-
tion of your honorable body: refer to
the faulty and dangerous construction OF
some of the street cars in use in this
city and the very dangerous rate of
speed with which they run through
some of our streets. Some of the cleo
trio cars, in particular, have no fender
or other protection in front of the
wheels, and party falling on the track
before them would certainly be ground
to pieces. Some of the said cars are
sometimes run at rate OF speed two or
three times as great as should be per-
mitted. If this matter does not receive
prompt attention believe it will yet be
the cause of serious accidents.
Police, telegraph or telephone boxes
would be very important adjuncts to
our department. For some months past
some Of our citizens have kindly per-
mitted the officers to use their private
telephones, but the said telephones are
not in the right places, and in the
night time, when most needed, many Of
them are locked up, 30 that the larger
proportion of our patrolmen have no
means of reporting or communicating
with headquarters. There should be
provided sufficient number of boxes,
located at or contiguous to the junction
of beats, to enable every officer to re-
port at least once an hour. The boxes
should be kept locked. all of the officers
provided with keys, and, as in the case
with fire alarm boxes, citizens living