The herald., 1894-12-17
POLICE DEPARTMENTS WORK,
Recommendations and Sugges-
tions by Chief Glass.
He Again Exposes the Foul COndi-
tiOn of the City Jail.
The Laws on Gambling Have, He Says,
Been Euforced-A Review of
the Work During the
Last Year.


and ita work during the fiscal year end
ing November 30th ia one of which the
chief may feel proud. Never before in
the history OF Los Angelo has the de-
partment been go effective, and this, too,
in tbe face of the fact that, owing to q
rapid increase of population, the work
has been nearly doubled over that OF
any previous year.
Chief Glass will send his annual report
of the department to the city council
at its session today. In that report he
touches upon some points that are of
vital Importance, not only to the tax
payers, but to the city in general. The
most important, perhaps, is his timely
reference and recommendations regard
ing the present police headquarters.
whose vileness and foul condition
were fully exposed by the HERALD a
year ago. Chief Glass has in his annual
reports for at least three or four years
called attention to the filthy condition
of the Jail, in which no human being
should be confined If some one would en-.
force the law in the case, the city would
be compelled to discontinue the use OF
the dungeon, and then it is hoped Jail.
with all modern improvements, will be
constructed. The chief says:
I'm former reports l have pointed out
the many irremedabls defects of the
building, and the wrong Of crowding
prisoners of both sexes, and all ages,
within the narrow limits OF the old jaiPs
ewage-oontaminated cells. We must
have more room for prisoners, and if
we are to comply with the laws of the
state, must have room to provide eepar-
ate apartments for fsmaleR, and for juv-
emile offenders, and to do our work prop
erly must have larger and more con-
venient building for q central station.
The building should contain apartments
for the matron, 30 that she could always
be present TO search and properly care
for female prisoners, and work them after
conviction, 30 that they may be made
to at least pay for their keeping. The
building should also contain an armory
and drill hall, a gymnasium and baths,
and large dormitory for the accommo-
dation of reserve force, which we are
liable to need at any time. There
should also be q stable sufficiently large
to accommodate our patrol horses and
the horses of the mounted officers. All
we'll regulated police departments of the
cities of the eastern states are provided
for in this way. and why should We not
be as we'll cared for? l therefore again
most earnestly recommend your honor
able body to sell the old building and
site and purchase q suitable piece of
ground, and erect thereon q modern
police building and Jail. think it
economy to do this at once, ae l am sat
isfied that the many repairs that we
are compelled to make in the old build
ing, because OF faulty sewerage. defect
i've plumbing, etc., annually. cost more
than the interest on sufficient money to
build a suitable building. We often
have 120, or more, prisoners in the city
Jail at night, and we have not room to
properly care for more than one third of
that number, and | am afraid that we
may sometime have very serious re-
suits from crowding into cells three or
four times the number of prisoners that
should be placed in them.
II also again recommend that
branch station be established in the
southwest portion OF the city, either at
the corner of Main and Washington, or
Washington and Figueroa streets, ,as that
portion OF the city is rapidly increasing
in population and wealth, and think
that the city should purchase the
ground required and erect the neces-
sary buildings. as it is impossible to
rent one suitable for the station,
which should include one or more
cells, in which to detain prisoners un.
til they could be removed to the central
station"
The following comprises the rest OF
the report:
1.-The East Side station has been a
great benefit to us, and the officers
stationed in East Los Angeles have
done excellent work in handling
trsmps, srresting them or compelling
them to move on. | wish 10 especially
commend Officer W. FL. McKeag. who
has had charge OF the East Side station,
for his good work. and recommend that
he be promoted to the rank of eergeant,
and given the salary of said rank. He
gives long hours to tho service and is
always faithful and efficient, and cers
tainly merits the promotion and raise OF
salary.
1.-The roster shows that the present
numb ber of the force-of regular of; GERS,
including the matron--is ~, and that
there are 10 special officers. During the
year just closed three officers have re-
signed, six have been dismissed and one
has died, the latter. Detective Alfred o.
Benson, whose death occurred on the
11th day OF August. | am glad of this
opportunity to say OF the deceased de-
tective that he was one OF the most
noble and concientioua of men, very
vigilant and possessed of uncomm mon
qualifications for the work OF a detect.
i've, and the Los Angeles police depart-
ment has been truly honored by having
him as memb ber.
"In the past year the increase OF eal-
aries recommended in former reports
has been kindly granted by your hon.
orable body, for which thank you, and
l am alao thankful for the beginning of
the police relief fund, as started by the
ordinance recently passed, and 1 hope
that all of the provisions of the statute
of March 4th, 1889, in regard to this
matter, will be put into effect.
During the past year We have
passed through a remarkable railroad
strike, that threatened at times to be
very serious- but fortunately it passed
away without any loss OF life. or seriors
loss OF property, and with the exception
of the turning over OF freight car, and
the derailment OF few others, no dam
age was done. The most notable police
event of the strike was the arrest by
Mounted Officer G. w. Woodward of
Henry Patterson, one OF the striking
engineers, who is accused OF shooting at.
and attempting to kill. Engineer Mar
tin, who was bringing in his train from
Santa Barbara. In this case Officer
Woodward showed good Judgment, and