Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-07
WORK OF THE FINEST.
Roger 0'Mara and Gamble Weir Sub
nit Their Reports for Last Year.
WOULD LIKE TO GRANT LICENSES,
Regular Army Rules of Discipline Are
Recommended as Copy.
DELICATE SUBJECTS ARE DISCUSSED

1
| The liquor question. public morals. and
| the improvement of the police department
are the main features discussed in the renort
| of h.sist,nt c,ro.;,toa..t of DII:-
o,sr @ Va Aoii'o
hosei v f""ia I'r Tue year lo'o.
Inc report Is Doth Volumlnous and eX-
| haustiye. It was presented TO Chief Brown
| .l -,
ations and achievements of the department
| A sl<etcb of tbo rico nroo,rass o,d doroI
! -''o' p1oso9' anu Ae'ei
| opments OF the police systems OF the country
prefaces the main report. In talking on this
f. ~ o,,, o- WAS
matter MI. " MARA speaks as lolloWs:
In the United States there was no police
| force worthy of the name nrior tn IS45 who
the Mavor of New yor1- o-or, ,izod :, nniforr,od
-, -, - -, " " M
Doos' "nion was hho"n as the CITY ponce.
Prior to that time the people were dependent
for protection upon an inefficient night watch
In dav time avery nan ,v,s eInocted +o nrotoct
h;msoIf ond th,+ ,..;.1 - ..s. r. -.
-' 1r' 'u 'ni' peLlou was SEASON oi rIch ln
harVest ior CRIMINALS OF all classes. Inc
Mayors police force in New York became such
powerful instrument of political corruption
that IL vas naoess,rv +o abolish If n fav wars
hofo-o ,ho 80 anJ 80. =, its sta,4 tho
oeioIe Tue war; anu elec' III ius steau 'ne
metropolitan system, wnlch is stlii I'D vogue IN
the metropolis. and after which nearly all other
police organizations in the large cities of the
country are modelled.
London No Longer the Model.
In the beginning New York took London as
model but for mary ve,rs rho American force
hoe ha,n ,os,I +ha svrorior IS i,s Irno1;., MO
.a.,,Do .,, .ne $3.50 - 80. -,
totype, whose progress Is cnecked almost en-
tirely by a bureaucracy that apparently can
not be driven out of the ruts of the past. But
| respects it has glaring defects which in time
| must inevitably end in its dIsintegra-
| tion. These arise from radical
| error in the fundamental principle of the
ganizatiOn OF the various forces under that
| system. The colossal blunder is made of put
| ting the supreme governing power into the
| hands of board of commissioners consisting
| of several members. Authority and response
bility is thus uiffused instead of being cOncen-
trated and the way Is made clear 1or
commission has a given number of appointees
who become his personal followers and depend
upon MIN Tor protection against ms colleagues
nfrendor DU,u' ,a c+Inun Sietmrn,ncss np
the Character alluded to have heretofore seri-
ously threatened the stability of the metro
politan system, and troubles of that nature
Will, IN my opinion, eventually wreck It
ou VIII 5ot puS Codnc, iio anu .ng ppinI, may ,y
| make. thar the Pittshnr1 no,ce force as at
present organized, is the pioneer in a system
which Is as much superior to the metropolitan
system system as tnat system mas proved 10 is ne su,
ppirbt ,ro,ob - orr nrond eo+bars .Whara
is the Foundation for that statement?
| will be asked. 1 will present it In a
brief recital of 4 few hard facts. 1t is in the
highest degree esSentla that t9e alselpl1ne t Oh
as p mercilessIv enforced mon The oficers as the
disciplire OF an aTmy is Impressed upon
the soldiers. That cannot be done whom
there is a. division OF the highest
aHLnorty, t, 10 ehtJree or -;sa u'h Of f,oIi"ns
! made made, nm os the snnnorters of one or another
chief and to organize and preserve a cohesive
force, the power of supreme command must be
reposed in the hands OF one man. competent to
us H. anG i've daiv MENTION @ to- the airs Of
his force. That is the kind of an organization
which has been achieved IN Pittsburg under
your tireless supervision.
Compared With "a Years Ago.
Continuino Mr.. O'Mara made a comnari.
son of the free and system of 1867 when
he first mt ON the uniform. with that of to-
dav. Then every Mayor had substantially
a new force, who grew careless as the end of
their patrsn's term drew near, which re-
suited in inefficieucy and an increase in
crime. The new material constantly COM
ing in kept it also always IN state Of dis
organization. The contrast presented by
the present force is remarkable evidence
of the rapid advancement of the city.
The mental and physical requirements
and efficiency of the men were next touched
upon and the good results obtained from the
gymnaslums ana orlils oescrloed. AS a
now seldom nsed officers nsnallv heinz
- ~ H. ,.sI nf saonr;no tbeir nr;son,
ers nv the use of their hands.
H. st,+ad fnrtber that tbere are not
o s'u i: - ~
enough OF poiiceheh' i"en'! years ago
there were 236 men IN the service. Io-day
there about 290, and no person will dispute
tho fact that our city has doubled itself in
IL 80, 10, ,..rg t.yvosI,arIJ
SIZE ",nih 'ne pas '.n uo." i.
nave, ne salu' at tne Io"esC calculatioh
400 policemen, and oOO would not be too
many"
Continuing he said that Pittsburg is sup
posed to contain population OF 24O, ,OO0 In
nabitants, but the residents OF surrounding
towns who come daily to the city. perform
their daily duties and return home, make
the total in the streets during daylight at
least $40, 900. The inspectors and officers of
the three districts were complimented on
their work; that performed In the First
district, the most important, bv Inspector
McAleese and his men, being pronounced
prodigious.
The city, he stated, has been entirely free
from professional burglarles during the
year. What little stealing was done was by
tramps, petty local thieves and amateurs,
who in nearly every case were arrested and
punished.
Suggestions on the Liouor Traffic.
poro..;. :, .ho ,;,uo- ...;o NJ
e'eiiins !" WIG iiquoi 4ueS'ion' nir'
v Ha"i" s"i0'
am OF the opinion that the liquor traffic
shoupa sh ne enlreiy IN .ne nahus Oh sne mead ot
know where liouor ought TO be sold and where