The times., 1897-06-20
BIKE POLICE IN UNIFORMS
Hereafter Seorehers Nay Recog-
nize Members of the Squad.
COMMISSIONER WIGHT'S ORDER
General Satisfaction Among Wheel
men Over the MoEn ed
Blouses and Brass Buttons.
Causes That Led to the Order.

The bicycle police squad VIII hereafter
wear police uniforms. Commissioner
Wight. who controls the police depart
ment, announced his decision to that eff
feet yesterday This decision, tie result
of a long and somewhat bitter controversy
between the wheelmen OF the District and
the police department, gives the greatest
satisfaction in bicycle circles.
The wheelmen have al along contended
that the bicycle squad should be uniformed,
advancing, among other reasons, the allie
cation that on several occasions mem
bers of the squad had taken advantage
of the fact that they Were not Uniformed
by inviting wheelinen to ride at d faster
than ordinary rate of speed, and then
arresting them for doing SO.
The wheelInen contendcd that tho squad
were led ty q hope of promotion, into
orerstepping their authority, by makiag
large number OF unwarranted arrests, and
that the citizen wheeImen should ne pro
tecfed 10y the squad wearing a badge of
authority III the shape of uniform. The
bicycIists further maintained that they
should he treated as gentlemen, and not
as suspicious characters, over whom IL
h3G been found necessary to place spies on
wheels. There have been several cases OF
bicycle scorching in the police court the
past few months, the number beiag SO
large as to cause general comment.
At the same time there have been
several complaints in the court that ar
rests made by the squad were uucalled-for
and unwarranted. The authorities were
at first inclined TO discredit the allega-
tons made, but when they had been SET
forth in succeeding cases their doubts
began to give way. The policemen are
known to only a few wheelnlen OF the
the city, and the assertion was re
peatedly made in court that the defendant
while wheeling had become frightened
at a bicycle policeman persistently dogging
hIm about the streets, and on attempting
TO ride away from the stranger had been
placed urder arrest The matter of re-
Guiring the squad to wear uniforms was
given new impetus by the recent arrest
OF Joseph Darneille, night inspector of
the Potomac Electric Light Company, by
Bicycle Policeman DuvaI.
The bicyclists them selves have left
no stone untuIned TO bring about the uui-
forming of the squad. In the regular meet
ings of the District branch of the L. A.
W. the matter has been discussed, aud ON
several occasions preliminary steps taken
10 effect the desired end. The subject
was the special theme for discussion at
the league meeting Thursday evening last.
Some time ago Or. Allegar, Of the
league, communicated with twenty-six of
the principal cities of the country rela-
tive TO the matter, and learned that of
these twenty-six cities, twenty-four have
their bicycle squads uniformed. OF the
other twocities Rochester does not uniform
It's squad, and Chicago has no bicycle
police.
With reference to the matter of uniform
Ing the bicycle squad, Commissioner Wight
Informed a Times reporter yesterday that
he had concluded to uniform the squad
because he considered it better to prevent
an offense than to arrest an offender In
his opinion, the majority OF the wheelmen
In the city would not Intentionally break
the police regulations by scorching, but he
believed that the presence of a uniformed
squad would serve TO restrain inlpetuous
riders from riding at faster rate than the
law allows. The members OF the SQUAD
will probably secure their uniforms by
July 1 next.
Uniform to be used until a permanent
uniform shall be adopted, has been de-
cided upon by Major Moore and Capt.
Austin.
The temporary uniform Includes navy
blue golf caps, regulation summer police
blouse, navy blue knee trousers, and black
stockings.
1t has not as yet been decided as to
whether the squad shall wear their badges
displayed ON the front of their blouses or
have them con