The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-10
THE NEW POLICE UNIFORM
Manufacturers Association
Wants Home Industries
PatroniZed.
OBJECTIONS TO THE HELMET.
What the Police Officials Say Con-
corning the New Order of
Dress for the Force.

| The order of the Supervisors, passed
| April %, relating to changes in the uni
| forming of the police force of San Fran
cisco and supplemented by subsequent
order by the Police Commissioners on the
same subject has caused quite stir among
| the police officers and patrolmen and a
| great deal of discussion generally.
| The order in question is to the effect that
all patrolmen, when ON duty, shall wear
| regulation helmet and a single-breasted
frock coat, buttoned from the chin down
to the lowest button at the waist. The
Chief shall wear a uniform at all times
when on duty. The order as relating to
the other officers is found in the following
extract taken from the Supervisors recent
order:
Captains, sergeants and corporals shall, while
on duty, wear cap similar in shape and style
| to the sample cap now in the office OF the Chief
of Police, with gold bullion wreath enc1rcllng
the word captain, sergeant or corporal, en-
broidered in gold bullion; the caps for cap
tains to have gold band, those for sergeants
and corporals to have black braid band.
The Police Commissioners have issued
an order similar in purpose to the order of
the Supervisors, and MAY 81 has been set
| as the day on which these orders shall go
into effect. Chief Crowley has sent the
| following order to all captains and ser
geants:
Inspection for the the police force is ordered
| for Monday, May 81. Notice of hour and place
will hereafter be sent you.
On and after May u all members of the de-
| partment wearing uniforms will, while on
duty, have them buttoned up from bottom to
! top.
! after that date, wear their police uniforms on
the first watch, unless otherwise ordered.
Instruct your officers to call at store OF
| Eugene Korn, 726 Market street, between May
% and May 81, and obtain their police helmets
| and the sergeantS their caps.
The inspection referred to in the first para
| graph of this order will include all officers of
every grade prison and station keepers, bafliffs
of courts and clerks at department beadquar-
| tiers, not actually on duty at the hour named,
except detectives and those detailed tor detec-
! tive duty.
A majority of the policemen are bitterly
! opposed to the change, and freely condemn
the order when discussing it among them
selves. But when spoken to by an out
slider on the subject they are either silent
| and non-committal or else say it is a good
thing. They have good reasons for this,
as they do not want to run amuck of the
| Commissioners.
Several objections are urged by those
who have given the subject considerable
thought. The argument is advanced that
the attiring of a policeman in a manner
out of the ordinary, particularly the wear
| ing Of helmets, is in itself matter of dis
! like to the patrolman and a subject of
ridicule and derision by the gamlns of the
street--a matter which causes the police
man to lose his proper dignity and self
respect. A patrolman passing along the
street, knowing that he is the observed of
ali observers, feels Inundated like man
who carries sign announcing cheap
meals at 10-cent restaurant. He is earn
ing an honest living, it is true, but when
he divests himself of his conspicuous sign
| board and goes to mis- room he feels con-
tempt for himself. The opinion largely
reyails that policemans attire should
differ from the citizens dress only so far
as is necessary to distinguish him in a
crowd.
But these are not the most serious objec-
tions advanced. 1t is urged by many that
policeman with his coat completely but
toned is seriously hindered in drawing his
most effective weapon, the pistol, in cases
of emergency. A gang of toughs can over
power him and beat him into insensibility
| before he has time to draw his weapon of
defense A criminal may gain just enough
time to enable him to escape while the po-
liceman is Juggling at his pistol under his
buttoned-up coat. The fact that this style
of uniforming is in vogue in New York is
not deemed sufficient argument for in
PRODUCING it here. In New York City there
are several policemen to every block, while
| here there are several blocks to every po-
| licemen. In New York half a score of po-
licemen can be massed in half minute at
the blast OF whistle. Here an officer fire.
quently finds himself on a beat two miles
around and he often needs to use his pistol
! Captain Lees, when spoken to on the
! subject, said:
''1f the policemen are to be uniformed
let them wear their clothes in a uniform
manner, all buttoned up or all unbuttoned
-one way or the other"
Captain Healey, the Chiefs clerk, said
he did not think the buttoned-up coat
would interfere with the drawing of a
pistol. He does not object to the intro
ducton of the helmet Captains and
sergeants do not come under the helmet
| order.