The evening world., 1893-12-16
new YORK NEEDS IT.
A Signal and Patrol Wagon Ser
vice Like st. Louis.
The Workings and Cost Of the
System There.
-
Police in Constant Communication
with Headquarters.

AEtttitb titto 'h a''tNh 1850 '''
towards the long-delayed patrol-wagon
service there seems 10 be a general ex-
pectation that they will go further, and,
adopting the system in Its entirety, also
Introduce the police signal system. In
\ few days the Board OF Estimate and
A~pportionment will take up the police es-
Jmates. The whole matter Is in the
lands Of Commissioned Sheehan. and 1t
is hoped that he will be able to explain
fully at that time the needs of the De-
partment In this paracular.
Just imagine New York. the biggest
and In every way the most important city
In the country, without a signal system
or a patrol wagon service. Let the Po-
hce Commissioners. as well as the pub
lie, compare the Empire City with the
little city OF Lowell. Mass. Lowell has
less nan $1,000 inhabitants, yet no such
sights are Witnessed there as drunken
men or women paraded through She
streets In push-carts. or dragged by the
arms. There they have the patrol wa
gons. as well as a complete signal sys-
tenn. Then there IL the town of Law
renee, Mass, with oRly $4,000 Inhabitants.
ciamoring. for the system. and the resi-
aents and taxpayers making up their
'"rhe Evening World" has already told
at length how the new system Is worked
successfully in Brooklyn. ana how easy
1t Is for the police to be massed at any
given point In short order. II mas also
TOLD OF the other cities. big and small.
throushout the country. which. to the dis
grace OF New York, are far ahead OF this
Of the West for the workings OF the
signal system and the patrol wagon SER
Vice It will be seen how we suffer in
A notable example is St. Louis. which
nas had the phones and wagons for ten
Y00TAs Ifs Althnritiaa rnttII not n., tr
aerstand how the city could be .policed
ga eyes upon New York's deserted
Territorially only Chicago and Phila-
eelphia. are larger than st. Louis. which,
mapped. looks like the half of an i'm
miles long, is the Mississippi River.
From the centre Of this line to the high
est curve. Of the western boundary Is
wagon system was introduced 1t was con
en- area Of about t%wenty-four square
and the telephone wires extended until
much more tina half of the city is In
cluded In the territory served.
made In the INSTALLATION OF the system.
The "bum-proof'' boxes. which can be
seen In Brooklyn, were built to contain
te%lephonIng. These boxes were octagonai,
six n one-half feet high. were made
OF iron, and surrounded II
attached. The theory was that a police
man who had made an arrest against the
wishes Of his prisoners friends might
which was strong enough to resist at
tack until the arrival Of the patrol wagon
and other officers.
practice. and after some years, when the
boxes began to show signs OF age, they
were torn away and telephone contain
era, like fire-alarm boxes. were huns on
the walls of buildings,
For ten years the police telephone sys-
tenn was operated In connection win
necessitated a divorce. and they are now
operated Independently.
Each station-house Is provided with a
switchboard and two operators. usually
boys sixteen or eighteen years old. All
the street telephones In a district are
connected with the station-housc to
which the patrolmen of that district re.
port. The station-house Is connected
with Headquarters, and by means, of
switches there can be put in communica-
ton with any other "station-house In the
Patrolmen are not allowed to leave
their beats until relieved or summoned
to the assistance OF patrolmen or. other
beats. When an arrest Is made the
prisoner Is taken to the telephone box on
the beat of the patrolman In charge of
him. A message Is sent to the station.
house either by simply ringing the bell
or. II conditions permit. a terse e~xplana-
ton OF the circumstances. =
The patrol-wagon horses. like those of
the Fire Department, spring to their
places at the tap Of the gong. The driver
gets the number of the box and the
wagon Is away at top speed In ten sec
ends. At least one policeman and driver
are on the wagon each trip. If the mes
aage from the patrolman's box indicates
the need, all the officers at the station.
and all that may be met on the way to
the scene of the trouble are AIKEN.
The patrolman turns over his prisoner
to the policeman in charge OF the wagon
and resumes the patrol of his beat. He
makes a report In detail of the facts In
the case to the Sergeant In charge OF his
precinct. The Sergeant transmits, the
report to the Captain. who sends 1t to
Whether arrests are made or not, the
patrolmen are required 10 repor at reg
ular intervals by telephone to their sta
lions. The sergeants In charge visit the
patrolmen on their beats and also COM
municate regularly with the station.
This, keeps the entire force In close
touch with Headquarters.
Should a riot occur in any part OF the
city the whole police contingent could be
called in from the beats and sent in
patrol wagons to the scene. Whenever a
large fire occurs patrolmen are called in
and sent with ropes to aid In saving life,
TO prevent pillage and keep the mob of
spectators which is always gathered, no
matter what the hour. from getting in
harms way or interfering with the fire
men.
AS Is tHe pTdCllCt III all lHTBt CITIES,
the squads OF patrolmen are given de-
scriptions OF missing persons and crimi-
mails wanted each time they go on duty.
This information is supplemented by
"all around messages over the tele-
phones. Headquarters tells all the sta
tion-houses of a murder, highway rob
berry or other case as soon as reported.
Descriptions are given when possible.
This Information Is repeated by the sta
tion operators to all the patrolmrn in
their district when the men report,
A record is kept OF patrolmen's reports,
and this serves as an excellent check on
those who might be disposed, when the
Sergeant Is known to be at a distance.
to neglect their duty,
A ST, Louis policeman who had lone
duty brayely in the Bloody Third Dis.
trict, in Kerry Patch and along the lcvee
would shrink from service in New York
tough quarters, knowing that no matter
what his need of assistance II might not
be forthcoming. Where there is "A tcle.
phone and wagon service he could send
In an alarm In passing a box on his way
TO the scene of a reported row, insuring
the quick arrival OF other policemen and
means for conveying the killed. wounded
and guilty to morgue, hospital or prison,
The wagons supplement the regular
ambulance service, and II has often hap.
pened that lives OF Wounded or injured
persons have been saved through their
use.
The hurry wagon" is an object OF