New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19
TOURS OF POLICE DUTY.
ROUTINE WHICH Is NOT EASILY
LEARNED
Ire EFFECT on HEALTH AND DISCIPLINE EF
FoRT OF A POLICEMAN TO MAKE HIS
pIrIE OF LIFE PLAIN TO AN
ORDINARY CITIZEN.

pIIE OF LIFE PLAIN TO AN
ORDINARY CITIZEN
To the ordinary New-Yorker the time schedule
according to which the policemen in TINS CITY per
form patrol duty. cat and sleep is harder to under
stand than Chinese puzzle. not because II Ii so
often difficult TO find policeman when ne If "a"eu'
but because OF the peculiar system by whlch MS
tours OF duty arranged on no TWO con-
secutive days does the regular patro.Tnan nave the
same hours for working. eating and sleeping. He
is on patrol the half OF night and the last
half OF the following night lie does the dos
watch" every fourth morning His day service ls
long or short according as he mas morning.
home or the last tour" or has a long day or
'shor7 day" A policeman understands the routine
only after # has been drilled into him and II Is
mystery TO other people.
There are Newly Workers who can Still remember
when the police OF the city consisted OF the hight
watch" under the command OF Jacob Hays New
York's famous High chief Constable. In those
days the police wore uniforms. their onicial
designation being only badge. and nearly ali OF
them performed service in guarding The city only al
night When George ". Matsel succeeded Hlgh
chief Constable Hays and became the first Superin-
tenden Of tho Municipal Police Force, more thanhfty
years ago the tours Of duty" which still govern
police service night and day adopted.
II IS one OF the traditions Of the police force that.
when the intricate system was put mo operation
there was no end OF trouble in making the police
understand Il. ana Tor A time the IHfH WIZ
mixed in their calculations TO the time when they
would be on duty or off duty. Many OF the men
declared also that their health would ne ruined ny
the irreguarity in hours Of eating and sleeping.
But the system had TO stay and the police nave
become so accustomed to # that they hardly speak
Of IT in summing up the trials which are supposed
20 prove that "a poceman's LOT IS not happy
THE SAME HOURS FOR ALL.
The oricinators Of the tours OF duty" had 10 take
/ account OF several things, among which was tho
/ propensity OF A policeman TO grumb!e If there was
any uufair4ss in the allotment OF time Of service
. \ policeman will spend his whole time in kicking
3 and complaining II he thinks ne Is being made TO
. perform more than his share OF duty Under the
long-established system all patronen are treated
4 alike a. to hours OF duty. Al the same time the
system provides for having the entire police force on
duty cthe- on post the streets or in reserve in
the police stations every night from p m. to
A. m also provides for having part or the FORCE
or duty during the twelve hours % daylight II was
in the division OF the hours Of day duty that the
/ scheme became puzzling.
A Tribune reporter who had long tried to acquire
! ar understanding OF tho mysterious tours OF ponce
duty talked the other day with good-natured po-
Nceman who offered to make the plain. The
man has been on the force almost long enough to
be retired and his Irish brogue has been worn al
most entirely away. Although he has been irregular
in his hours duty and has not had his sleep or his
I meals at the same time two consecutive days for
/ nearly twenty years. he IS fat and robust ana he
/ declares that his digestion has always been good
ONE POIICEMAN's EXPERIENCE.
you'll understand the police tours exactly" said
the policeman IF l tell yez Just what did IN FOUR
days. Not that I'll tell yez everything for that wud
be burdnir' the record the lawyers say, but III
cut IL shcrt. Wan thing must say first The min
In the station are in platoons. the first platoon
and the second platoon, and each platoon is In two
sections I'm in the second section OF the first pla-
nd Nouy | utv most n
ocloc,. on Monday evenn.' an did all the other
min OF the first platoon. That Is called the first
do you mean that the first poice tour begins In
Yes that the first tou- Well We all STAYED se . or
post till midnight and then We We're relieved py ne
second platoon. Tn" second platoon understand had
been in reserve in the station o~fore coming out 10
''"Do the frst tour and the last tour come clos
Tine first tour is from o'clock 70 midnight and
the last Is from midnight TO 6 o'clock In the
derstand? Well, at minigh; Monday nigh; was
rey on my posi- &ns lection % wa s'f 10 re.ev them
Til t O'clock ana wu4 have had ak hours sleep.
not countir time Of turn roilcall only the re-
srrve was called FOR fire a. o'clock. and We
didu g. back 70 he station nal, Ia sf'er rye ,
~ coffee before went out 70 TO The dog watch a.
THE Doc WATCH
What i the dog watch. anyhow
The dog watch Is patrol from 10 O'Clock IN
,he narnir' and tina. is the time when The police
l-,I 10 r.. the dos- do all the watchin'. That's
the tine when there's ~ reserve a, all IN the sta
ION. and police are mighty scarce IN me streets
When my s-r.on doing lie dog watch, under
stand all The other min in The precinc. had gone
b,ro. except th. min haven. any home but
he station. ana the min "a had prisoners to take
INIT u,x se,tlou was relieved by The first
.io.. and / wint back i0 me station and vim 70
pei IL wa 'be 91a-ion iii ! o'ciook Then /
N-nt nnt d. patrol again til = O'Clock and had
10 arrcs' = man only I'D minutes o"'of" iehe''hs
Zine bad cess 70 him.
Was -e 4 troublesome customer
40 he WAS gintleman. but x ism pleasant
- haze 70 AXE a man IN the end u u long la.
Policemen who do tn dos watch IAN see drunken
had - take him 81. and maj meant would
have 70 axe MIN 70 conrt Ia me marhh OF III;
- ,tn,r min ~ the nrst section 20 sleep az >
o'clock That wa Tuesday ryenin. understand
Yes understand
GOING TO COURT ON a SHORT DAY
.V.u. hal good sleep til midnight. and hen
FL whit out 10 10 the .ast tour. ~ o'cloc. was
N most again. T. wa my short day. ami could
have been Of ill in he eyen!n Only FOR III man
had locked up 1 -. my breakfast am waited IN
,i- station III O'Clock. and then took the prisoner
f., court ! had 10 wait in court NO hours. ana
o. ,yas nearly noon wAen got back - the STA
lion 10 report he disposition Of my pr'soi"'.
What's that
,r ~. curt understand. Well had half day
vim my family and got back 10 The stall at
4. .,flI. %
yUtns-iav rv-nim' ! did the first til mid
,,ghf and then had my narnin home maTnn
INC understand. that Policeman sets
n, ,houi an hour after midnight ana has
abar,. io sleep IN his bed TIL nearly o'clock
/ ,rna, comes every fourth marnin'. NJ O'Clock
q, t....i.v ] had to go back post 20 relieve
INV sid-l partner OF the first section ~ho hai been
'i,irg m. iogwatch. ! on post TIL % 'I'-h
i ,n.u went To- The station TO staJ In reserve
IN . o'clock when turned IN TO sleep VIZ" me
,n.r men of the first platoon. A. miGnlght WIN
~, ,osr again. and o'clock in th' msrilin
t',tu nv short day and went home to SAY III
M
,s THURSDAY understand and ~ o'clock wlni
nn most again for the FIRST tour just az ON Mon
on on P Nv yez can understand just how the po-
nee tours go. -, ~.