New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-26
THE BICYCLE CORPS
A NEW ADDITION 10 THE POLICE Fopcn
THAT HAS DONE GOOD WORK
A SELECT BODY OF FAST RIDERS AND FEARr re.
POLICEMEN-HARD WORK AND MANY
RISKS UNDERTAKEN BY THEM


Eight men have lately been added to the IT.
cycle squad or corps of the Police Department
and the total force. which numbered four m
the day II was established December - 1907,
is now sixty-eight strong. In its own quarters
and under a separate command ian acting can.
tain being in charged responsible only to the In
spectors, the Chief Of Police and the Commission.
ers OF the department. since carly in May OF
this year the corps is now a full success and a
permanent police fixture. Other cities are fast
adopting the idea. Jersey City. Newark, Buffalo
poston. Chicago, Pittsburg, Brooklyn, Philadel.
mia and Baltimore all having bicycle squads OF
some sort, and reports Of the service having
como across the sea, several of the European
munieipaties are considering If they. too, can.
NOT p,ount a portion of their police on wheels to
advantage.
All this Is gratifying to Police Commissioner
Avery d. Andrews. who not only originated the
bicycle corps, but has personally directed the
details of it's work and still continues to pick out
the men for it. The corps as IL eHists to-day.
Is much more important institution IMAM he
dared to hope it would be $50 soon as thIs at any
rate) and police authorities say that there is
good prospect when the Greater New-fork
comes into existence Of the corps DelhS enlarged
to $50 or perhaps 300 men, IN ORDER thae the
new territory may be Adequately covered For 1t
has been found that a policeman on Wheeis can
not only do every sort or police WofK mat
man OF foot is capable Of. but that he Is actually
much more efficient. that he can perform many
additional duties (such as regulating uaiiic and
preventing acciden.s) and. besides this. cover
three or four times much territory
The records of the corps indicate this in
w,v The number Of arrests made in given
time il not an absolute indication OF police ef-
6ciency. but it shows it partially. The patrol
man on foot averages about one arrest week.
Sim. the corps on wheels was started IT'S men,
bers have averaged nearly eight arrests week.
"taking in" men, women and children for every
reason mentioned on police blotters In this
matter OF arrests the bicycle cops. as they
are known to the majority or people. perform
precisely the same duties as policemen on foot
and must be at the call OF citizens as well as
direct and control traffic.
# is an uncOmmonly fine body OF men. this
CORDS strong 1.-the. clean-limbed young fei-
lows very few of the sixty-elght over thirty,
and the m ajority Of them close to twenty-five or
, even younger. Sergeant Charles d. Kemp act
ing captain. is their commander ana the Dest
way To study and to get comprehensive view
! Of the detachment is to see them at 'roIcaH al
! their head quarters. No. l,ISG broadway al ~
o'clock in the morning and . in the afternoon
The men work only seven hours each one squad
| in the afternoon. the other until midnight but
as Commissioner Andrews says. seven hours
day on the wheel is equal in exertion To hiteeh
on foot for the men ride constantly ana are
| ALWAYS liable to be called on for great bursts
OF speed.
In weight they are somewhat under tn aver
age policeman-l7O pounds apiece or there
abouts, the ordinary officer weighing 40 or loo
Mounted they look much lighter than TINS Dut
| this is to be explained from the fact that they
are one and all splendidly developed ana with
/ ..e.,., Duaai-s u muscles that nave the s'"llV
of steel Every man is superb rider. sergeant
Kemp SAYS nothing but 'crackerjackS have
been appointed far and that there - sun a
good sized eligible list Of fast and sound riders
Probably there is not a single man in the corps
that if pushed cannot make his hair IN
| | 10 or IL which is famous pedang Ihere
are some even better than this. Roundsman
Schuesser. while in training down at Mammal an
Beach last summer. made a mile in los paced.
and Acting Sergeant George W. Brown on the
same track in the competitions did the mile in
2:oi unpaced. The wheel the men ride Is uni.
form and is one OF the best models turned ou'.
/ a machine selected because OF its peculiar abil-
ny to stand heavy strain and the roughrst OK
riding Its weight Is twenty pounds, and the
| men are allowed 10 please themselves as to
| matters OF saddles and gearing
| Except among the older men who are to heavy
! to ride the one great object in the police force
now seems 10 be to get a bicycle corps detail.
| At the last call for candidates early in thu sum-