The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-13

ready made arrests in the absence of
the regular Datrolmen, sending the
prisoners to the station in the patrol
wagon. They have ouelled disturb
ances on several occasions. and the
commissioners find that they have
added to the force a squad of alert
men, scattered day and night in every
part of the city, and mingiing with the
throngs, ready for duty at any mo-
ment, and without cent of cost to the
city.
The appointments were made at the
request OF the newspaper writer's them
selves, because they had been barred
few times from public places where
they believd they had the right 10 be
present. As officers of the law they
can 60 anywhere now, and with the
authority OF a policeman they can per-
form the work of newsgatherers.
Fears were expressed at first that the
of their authority after they had been
commissioned. but ii has never ye-
been done. They are undes tie author
ity of the board of commissioners and
amenabie 70 the law, the same as the
regular patrolmen. Should one of them
violate the regulations laid down for
the guidance of policemen, his commits
sion would be revoked, and he would
find himself a plain reporter once more,
minus his star and club.
Unusual adventures accompany the
new roles of the reporters since they
have been made policemen, and others
are yet TO be experienced, no doubt.
-Four OF them have been arrested on
the charge of carrying concealed weap-
onS, but they We're liberated again
when it became known that they were
vested with the same authority as the
man who made the arrest. One of them
was comSeiled to club man who re-
sisted arrest, and the clubbing was
done as scientifically as the most ex-
perienced man on the force could have
performed it.
1t is noticed that the personal enc
mics of the reporters are very quiet.
and retractions are believed TO be a
thing of the past in st. Joseph. The po-
liCemen-reporters have more authority
than they have ever enjoyed before,
and so far they have been careful not
to abuse it. They are no longer COM
PEELED to waste valuable time awaiting
the pleasure of an autocratic officer or
someone with self-assumed authority
when there is an item behind closed
doors. The Doliceman-reoOrter may
now rap with his club, show his star
and enter. In a few minutes he has
gathered the facts as they really exist,
and not as they come to him distorted
by several repetitions.
Since the reporters have been COM
missioned, it is noticed that the amount
of news gathered by them is nearly
twice as great. Its volume the first day
was too much for them to handle, but
the novelty has worn off considerably
by this time.
In detective work the reporters have
already outdone the secret service men
of the city force, and many times have
been of great service to he regular de-
tectives. One or two of them have made
good captures and scoops" at the same
time. The chief advantage is that they
can now get at facts, instead of being
compelled to accept rumors and sift the
true from the false by the use of good
judgment.
Several persons have learned that the
commissions given the reporters by the
police board are not jokes by any
means. They regarded them as such
until they felt the weight of club.
Threats have been made of lawsuits on
account OF the commissions, but the
members of the board have found that
the appointments are legal. They have
the right to appoint any number of
special officers, and there is nothing in
the law to prevent them from confer
ring the power upon the reporters. The
experiment is so new that it is Drac-
tically untried yet, but it Will be watch
ed with interest by the entire coun-
try