The herald., 1897-02-08
Wholly Inadequate to the Pub.
lie Needs
NOT NEARLY ENOUGH MEN
A Comparison With the Forces Of Other
Cities
One Policeman Here to Every Twelve Hundred
citlzens-Signai Boxes Would Increase
the Departments Efficiency

If it is true that preparations for war
should be made in time of peace it may
be fully as advisable to discuss the need
of more policemen at a season of an
unusual lull in criminal matters.
Though in the past few days nothing has
occurred to illustrate the present made
quacy, in point of numbers, of the city
police force a mysterious murder or
hold-up may come to pass at any mo-
ment when the only police officer on the
beat where the drama is enacted chances
to be a mile or so away.
When criminals ply their trade or
angry passion claims a victim in dis
trict protected by a solitary patrolman
whose regular beat leads him a march
of several miles the reading public will
cry, Where were the police?" Where,
indeed, but possibly mile from the
spot and necessarily oblivious to the
fact that crime is being or has been
committed. AS was shown in a recent
article in The Herald the force of po-
licemen is SO small in proportion to the
area of territory to be protected that the
men must be given beats far too great
in extent for any one man to look after.
The condition is such that the most
skillful handling of the men and most
studied apportionment of districts can
not make the force suffice. Policemen
cannot be ubiquitous.
AS was recently said Chief of Police
Glass realizes as none else can how
short" is the force under his command.
Fifty-nine policemen cannot properly
guard city containing within it's boun-
daries forty-five square miles-an aver
age of scarcely more than one man to
each square mile. The chief shows by
comparative figures taken from annual
reports from other cities that Los An
Seles, though having SO great a floating
population, that needs to be looked after
quite closely has really the smallest po-
lice force in proportion to the total popu-
/ lation of most cities. The city of New
York has one policeman to every 435
people; San Francisco has one police
= man TO every 600, while Los Angeles.
| counting the entire force, from the chief
| down. 81 men, has one policeman to
| every 1885 people.
| The chief has repeatedly asked for
| more policemen but so far the additions
| have been refused, though the force is
| smaller now than it was seven years ago,
| when he became chief
| If the city council is averse to em-
ployipg more policemen it can add to
| the facilities for protecting the city and
| catching criminals by adopting a sys-
| tenn of sigTal boxes which alone would
| DO as much to improve the efficiency of
| the force as would the employment of
twenty-five additional men. Chief Glass
| is authority for this statement. If about
| fifty of these signal boxes, such as are
| in use in all large eastern cities were
| properly placed in this city, the chances
| of crime occurring and criminals escap-
| ing would be decreased to minimum
! The signal box would contain telephone
and signal apparatus by which patrol
men in distant parts of the city could
| communicate with the central police sta
| ton and receive information and in
structions from headquarters The util-
| ity of the system has not been question:
| ed. The expense of putting in the fifty
boxes and wire connections would be
| between $4,000 and $4,000.