The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-03
GOSSIP OF A DAY.
A Result Of Latest Burg
larry in This City.
Police Should Not Be Slaves
to the Signal Boxes.
How Chronic Shirk Escaped Detec-
ton Several Months.

The latest burglary has raised the ques-
tion as to whether or not the jntroduc-
tion of the police signal system has added
anything to the security OF the property
of citizens from depredations by knights
Of the dark lantern and jimmie. In this
particular case signal box was located
only two Llocks away from the house
where the robbery was committed, and
was pulled at intervals of an hour during
the night. The supposition is that the
burglars with their usual astuteness and
cuuniDg.watched the patrolman to ascer-
tain when he "pulled the box" and hsv-
ing settled that took advantage OF the
hour he was absent in "pulling" Others
further away on his beat to loot the
dwelling. The question Is ssed, there
fore, IL had the policeman not been COM
pelled TO attend SO regularly to this box
pulling business he might not have bsen
around when the burglars were endeavor-
ing to gain an entrance, or when they
were leaving, and thus been able 10
capture them.
II Is easy to see that Il the policeman Is
required to pull the boxes on his beat at
a certain time during the night that he
else, while at the same time the very
regularity OF this duty gives the watching
thief q complete knowledge OF the patrol
mans movements and OF his position
throughout the hours OF darkness when
the robber does his work. Such knowl-
edge is OF the highest importance to the
robber, and gives him far greater security
from interference or detection than he
could possibly enjoy were the patrol
man permitted to cover his beat in his
own way or according to the plan he
believed best for the protection of the
people and property upon II. 1t Is easy
to understand that IL the patrolman Is
made the slave of the signal box he is
losing a good ceal OF his effectiveness as
a guardian of the peace and OF property.
Rightly employed the signal system is
valua BILE adjunct to the police service, but
when il makes of the men mere peram-
bulating automatons 1t Is little better
than worthless.
OF course the idea OF requiring The men
to pull the boxes at certain hours Is TO
insure their covering their beats. Ii Is to
stop "soldiering," sleeping and that sort
of rem issness, but when this pulling is
done with machine-lIke regularity 1t Is
easy to understand that far from being
an added protection from lawless depre-
datious the signal box becomes On
measure a promoter OF them. After all
there is no better safe guard agaitat the
burglar than honest, earnest and ssiive
patrolman who covers his beat coDsclent-
iously and who does not need record
ing signal system to make him do his
duty. In every department OF human
la Dor there are shirks and the police de-
partment has It's share OF them, but
probably in no greater proportion than
others. Some good stories are told OF tns
ta1 70 hx ff1n
force to cover up their derelictions, but
they are never bare until the man -
whom they relate has ceased TO meander
in the city's blue and brass.
Some yeers ago, many years, In fact, be-
fore the signal system was introduced or
thought OF there was on duty In the hftn
district a patrolmsn who didn't pro-
pose TO do any more work for the money
the city paid him than he could help. He
was In one of the night squads, and IL
became very difficult and at last impos-
sible Tor the sergeants, IN making their
ROUNDS OF the district, 10 find him. They
could hear The ring OF his club as II he
struck il on the curbstone, but when
they hurried 10 the point from which the
sound seemed TO come the ratrolman was
not there. He was que-tiooed OF course
on his return to the stntion and insistes
that he Lad been covering his beat 1aith-
fully; that Ii WIS not his hablt TO loiter
on the way, tut 10 get over IL as often rs
was consistent with watchfuiness. This
no explained, was probably the reason
why the ssrgcan,B Rad not boon able ~
find him.
For some time this explanation salts
fed his superior ofiicers, but later on.
when they went over his teat not once,
but-two and three times without catch
ing n glimpse OF him their suspicious
were again aroused and they came TO tho
conclusion TO ascertain just how matters