Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-10-20
GRIEF DoLAN,s REPORT.
Interesting statisrics Concsrnipg the VIII
mington Police Department..

interesting Statistics ConcsrniDg the Will
miugton Police Department.
The annual report of Chief of Police
Dolan, Just issued, contains some in.
teresting statistics concerning the
police department last year.
Among other things the report says
THE force is in first-class condition,
possibly better than ever before. Dur
ing the past year 67 charges were pre-
ferred against members of the force
for dereliction of duty, and fines i'm
posed upon them amounting to S138. 6S
and one patrolman dismissed from the
force. While the records of the pre-
vious year show that 107 charges were
preferred and fines imposed amounting
to 1924. rs, also desire to state that
the nine additional patrolmen added
to the force July 1st, 1897, enables us
TO have two regular mounted men to
patrol the rural districts, and two regu-
lar bicycle men for the bicycle terri
tory. During the summer season they
have rendered excellent service, and |
can see no reason why they should not
be continued. | would also commend
themembers of this department on the
the annual inspection, held May Both,
1893, and it is evident that with a little
more drilling they would compare
favorably with any up-to- date police
force.
1--WE have been quite fortunate in not
having any larger robberies of either
business houses or private dwellings du-
ring the last year, as there was only S5,
OIL. 70 worth of property reported stolen,
and of this amount 81, 733. 55 was re-
covered by this department, against
s., 220. 20 stolen and So, 1877. Al recovered
during the corresponding period last
year. ! attribute this decrease in
stolen property, which is the least re-
ported in any one year since the reor-
ganization of the police department,
over five years ago, largely to the act
regulating pawn brokers, passed by the
General Assembly, March, 1897, and
became operative June 10Th, 1897. To
the pawn broker the thief generally
takes his plunder, but since the pas
sage of this act he runs a greater risk
of being caught. There is no one be-
comes acquainted with this fact any
sooner than the thief or burglar We
have only three licensed pawn brokers
in our city whose books are continu-
ally under the supervision of this de-
partment, and in this respect we are
just as we'll fortified in Philadelphia
and Baltimore.
"This city is quite clear of all forms
Of gambling with the exception of
policy playing, and that is SO con-
Quoted that it is difficult matter to
obtain sufficient evidence to convict
those engaged in it. We have no
policy shops in our city; the hackers
generally live in other cities and are
therefore out Of our jurisdiction. The
writers and runners here do business
with regular customers. These writer's,
however, are well known to the police
and are frequently arrested with the
slips in their possession. The several
cases taken to the Court of General
Sessions during the past year was not
very successful as the court requires
positive evidence to make case. But
the vigilance of the officers, although
for aitime not entirely suppressing the
crime, was successful in keeping it
down to those whip are personally
known. The slot machine gambling
devices have been driven out of our
city entirely. The sweat cloth gam
bling, formerly carried on on the out
skirts on Sundays has been completely
broken up by our mounted men.
II would recommend that the act
creating the Board of Police Commits
sioners be so amended as to create the
Office of clerk to the chief of police and
as secretary to the board.