The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-16
REGRADING OF POLICEMEN.
Have Already Begun the
 Work-Speclnl Meeting Monday Nipht

Comm issloners Have Already Begun the
 Work-Speclal Meeting Monday Night.
 The police commissioners met again last night and it is supposed that they transacted public business, although no record of the meeting was kept, since the clerk of the board and the superin- tendent retired from the room in which the meeting was held after the minutes of the previous meeting had been ap- proved and the matter of purchasing new lanterns had been referred to the supply committee. It is possible that a contract for a number of electric lan- terms for patrolmen will be let soon. A firm which manufactures an electric lantern for which the light is furnished by a small storage battery has sent a sample lantern to the commission and it was the consideration of the advisa- bility of purchasing these lanterns for the department that was referred to the supply committee, while the clerk and superintendent were present. Whether or not the matter of letting the contract for these lanterns was dis
  could not be ascertained. Something was done which the commissioners de- sired to keep from the public, as at the close of the meeting they refused abso- lutely to say what had been done or what matters had been considered. They were in session until 11:30 o'clock and then stated that they had adjourn ed until o'clock Monday night.
 It was learned however, from a re- liable source that the greater part of the meeting was devoted to arranging regarding of the police force and that this will be the business of the meeting Monday night. It is said that they have already begun on the regarding; that a number of men in the depart ment have been already regarded ac- cording to the plan on which the board is working, and that the new grading will not be announced or be placed in effect until the board has placed each policeman in the department in the | grade to which his capabilities recom- mend him under the system of regrad- | ing which has been adopted. When | this work will be finished by the com missioners is not definitely known, but l it is said that the regarding will prob ably go into effect within two or three weeks.
 The system under which the regrad- | ing is being done is percentage sys- tenn. Each mans term of service in the department, his previous record since he has been on the force, his phy- sical condition as determined in the re- cent physical examinations by the po- lice surgeons and his physical and per sonal appearance as he appeared to the | commissioners at the special review held a few days ago will be taken into consideration. A certain percentage will be assigned for perfection in each | of these particulars, and each man will I be marked according to his standing with relation to this standard. It is said that length of term of service is 1 to be given especial consideration, and l that if a man who has been on the | force for a long time is found to be physically weak or imperfect he will be given the preference over man in the same condition who has been in the service for a shorter time, although the Platter may be a younger man.