The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-02
MORE POLICE PROTECTION
Business Men Favor a Sub
stantial Increase of the
Force.
TAXES SHOULD NOT FIGURE.
The Department Believed to Be
Efficient by Those Who OPP
pose the Scheme.

The business community of San Fran
cisco is in favor of increasing the police
force of this City to whatever extent the
Police Commissioners and the Chief of
Police think necessary. The matter of in
creased taxes seems tc cut no figure SO long
as sufficient police protection is secured.
The Board OF Supervisors favor an in
crease in the force and has really been
waiting to learn the sentiment of the
heavier taxpayers and the merchants be-
fore fixing the tax levy and taking steps
to increase the force by 125 new men.
The Grand Jury, which is dealing with
all sorts of questions of public interest
besides finding indictments against crimi-
mails, will probably recommend in its final
report that the police force be increased.
A large number of the prominent tax
payers were seen yesterday. Some had not
looked into the question deep enough to
express good opinion, but the majority
were decidedly in favor of the proposition.
Those who had carefully considered the
subject as one of interest to taxpayers and
merchants were virtually unanimous in
favor of granting Chief Crowley's desire
The few who were found to have adverse
opinions believe that the present force has
done such efficient work in the past that it
needs no increase.
The general feeling is. however, that the
new men appointed be taken on some sort
of probation, so that the police authorities
can become converSant with their ability
before making them regular officers. At
the present time the Commissioners, as a
rule, know little about the new mems fit
ness for their position and it sometimes
,@ol-z
poor officers.
A good idea of the feeling of the business
community in regard to the matter can be
cleaned from the following interviews:
General w. H. Dimond, of Williams,
Dimond 81 Co., said:
l am strongly in favor of an increase in the
Police Department. | believe that we have the
best police and fire departments in the
world, but the present police force is too small
to cover all the territory which mnst be guard
ed. The police did SO well in the late strike
trouble that believe in giving the authorities
all they ask. They proved themselves most
efficient. They know what they need and they
should have it. The slight increase in taxation
is matter of no consequence in comparison
to what good results can be obtained. The old
saying of ga stitch in time saves nine" is most
true in this case If Sacramento had had an eff
cient force to guard that city during the strike
last year the State would have been saved
5000, 900.
Spring Valley Water Works, said:
There is no use of having half city. If the
necessities of San Francisco authorize it, the
extra policemen should be put on. l think
that it Will be found on investigation that San
| Francisco is lacking as greatly in the number
of policemen as in the number of fire plugs on
her water mains, and in that latter particular
she has less proportionately than any OF the
other large cities in the country.
General w. H. L. Barnes said:
The matter of the presen state of the treasury
should cut no figure in this matter. Judging
by the few officers one meets in the residence
part of the city and the difficulty one has in
finding a policeman when he is wanted, l
gether inadequate. If it is, it should be in
creased without delay. What would be of almost
| as much value would be the wedding out of in
| capable officers after the plan adopted by
| Chicago.
Hugh Craig of the New Zealand Insur-
ance Company said:
Chief Crowley has done remarkably well
with his small force ] believe he needs at
| least $50 more men. The business men ara
| ready to pay the additional tax for the needed
| increase in police protection. We are also
ready to pay extra taxes for bitumenized
/ streets, good sewers and. above ALL continu-
| ance of the seawall south from Market street TO
| the terminus OF the new railroad. Then we
| could have q belt line road which could deliver
| goods to warehouses and our stores at a greater
saving than the improvements would cost.
| Frederick G. Voss of Voss, Conrad &
| Co., insurance agents, said:
| most certainly favor the proposed increase
| in the police force. There is no protection in
| the Western Addition. 1t is a nice neighbor-
| hood, but that does not prevent footpads from
| going there to plumber people because there is
| lack OF police protection. The beats of the
! police are too long and the police too few.
| There is really no protection to the city from
A A. NJ. to noon. Anincreased force will change
| these conditions materially. The additional
tax should not be given the slightest thought.
]. w. Raphael, president of Raphael's s,
The police force could be doubled with adj
vantage. The outlying districts are now SO
meagerly protected that a dozen men might
be murdered and no one discoyerit for hours.
This is no fault of the patrolmen. They do
theirduty but are expected to cover too much
ground.
George Whittel, manager of the Luning
estate, is in favor of an increased police
force as necessity. He said:
lam in favor of putting ON more men, for the
City is nearly four times as large as when the
present force was organized, and the police
have not been increased in proportion. Their
beats are too long even as it is, and as man
can only see just so much any way the police
we have now are bound to miss great many
things which they ought TO know, merely be-
cause their beats are too long for one man to
patrol. In the Richmond district they have
practically no police protection at ALL and that
part Of the City should be patrolled. l think
the extra expense is not to be considered with
the necessity OF more patrolmen.
Charles G. Lathrop, manager of the STAN
ford estate, is heartily in favor of more
patrolmen. He said
Out in the Richmond district, where live
we have no police at all. The city is too big to
be patroled by the force we have and 1t should
be increased, as the Chief has asked for it.
My neighbors and myself are now paying for an
extra Waterman, and heis doing Just the duty
that the police is supposed to do. But as it is
now their beats are so long they cannot prop
erly patrol them, and therefore, they do not
see any more than little of what is going on
The force should be increased, think, for it is
not large enough as it is.
Captain Charles Goodall of Goodall
Perkins 81 Co., said:
confess that don't know much about the
police force of San Francisco. Chief Crowley
ought to know whether or not his 500 men
are sufficient to patrol the city properly If
they are not, then without question the num-
Der should be increased.
Charles Holbrook, president of Hol-
brook, Merrill & Stetson, said:
1 have not heard this matter discussed and
know nothing of the police needs of the CITY
1t seems to me the city had better pay for its
provisions before contracting new obligations
Still, l would not want to see any part of the
city go unprotected.
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