The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-17
WANTS MORE POLICEMEN.
DR.. D. Albert Hitler DiSap-
proves of Private Night
WatChmen.
HE SAYS THEY PLAY POKER.
Private Patrol Assessments Stigma.
tiled as Blackmail-One
Citizens Views.

DR.. D. Albert Hitler of 1011 Suffer street
has some new ideas concerning the polio
ing of this City during the hours of dark
ness which will probably be submitted to
the Police Commissioners at some meeting
in the near future. He advocates calling
in the stars of all night watchmen and
special officers and organizing a separate
department of the police force to do the
work which he claims the watchmen and
private patrols have pretended to do
rather than have performed.
There are in this City" said the doctor
yesterday, ''any number of night watch
men who collect from the householders So
or ~ 80 month EACH nominally for
watching their property during the hours
OF darkness. But for this money I be-
heve absolutely no service is rendered.
Each Waterman is a law unto himself.
he has no superior, no sergeant who
makes the rounds at night and there is
therefore no check upon him whereby his
subscribers may be assured that he lives
up TO his agreements. Consequently the
men spend their time in loafng around
the corner groceries or playing poker in
the back rooms of saloons. And the prop
erty-owners who pay this tax-for it is
tax Just as much as the levleS by the City
officials-get no return.
"Refuse to pay it? We dare not. Let
me give you an instance from my own eX-
perience. About two months ago I de-
cided not to pay this tax. | never saw any
Waterman about except on the first of the
month and if I wanted to see him had to
leave note at the grocery. So | kicked.
The result? Well, about three nights
later gang OF young hoodlums came
around and tore things upside down.
They broke ratings on the block, trans
posed signs, broke my windows and up
rooted the plants in my garden. 1 do not
I,.l~
man, but it happened just after [ dis
pensed with his services. pay the tax
now, but consider this thing little better
than blackmail.
How would I remedy the matter? Es-
tabllsh new company in the police force,
OF which the members shall be detailed for
nlghtwatching only. Let them be paid
salary and let the property-holders, who
now pay 81 month to private watchmen,
pay 1t instead into salary fund for these
police. One sergeant, if mounted, could
cover all these beats and keep them up to
their work.
eff this plan be found too expensive
would add to the police force at least fifty
mounted men who should be on duty at
night and patrol the whole City. Ex-
pensiye? Well, suppose it is.
''The property holders would rather pay
more taxes and be perfectly protected. AS
1t is the protection afforded by these pri-
Vdte ponce is q farce pure ana simple ana
is a method of robbing the householderS
by wholesale. The enormous amounts
collected yearly by these semi-official YAM
pires would pay the expense of large in
crease in our regular police force, which
could be watched and controlled by the
police authorities. Some change in this
matter should be made and must be made
at an early date, else the footing of empty
houses and the garroting and sand
bagging of citizens will compel a re-
enrolment of the vigilantes OF early days,
of whom l was one."