Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-19
NO SPECIAL SESSION.
Of the Police Board Will Be
Held.
THE NEED OF GREATER FORCE
Not Believed That the X. quest Of the
Commissioners " i'll be Shelvpd by
Council. Lights as Adjunoes
the Police System.
THE NEED OF GREATER FORCE

1T was Thought that With the recov
cry Of Rev. T. j. Mackay. there would
be a special meeting of the Board OF
Police Commissioners. but it is aseer-
tanned that such is not the case, and
there will be no meeting until the reg
uar session upon the first Thursday
evening in November.
1t is likely from all that has pre-
coded that this meeting will be an in
teresting one. and that the charges
! which Mr. A1acKay spoke Of as being
ready ITO launch ait the chief OF police
will be preferred. There will also he
one or two petty trials and some other
routine business.
The council has not yet taken any
action on the request Of the beard for
FIVE more patrolmen and two drivers.
Il was stated yesterday that the re-
quest would probably be shelved for
some time, but it is hardly believed
that this Will be done
1t is realized that the city is hard
UP at present, though it will not be
later on. At the same time, it is real
lied that the citizens must have police
protection and that the present force,
enough one of the best, if not the best,
Of its size in the State, is entirely too
small to cover the immense territory
An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound Of cure. The recent numerous
outragcs that have occurred have
awakened the public, official and unor-
fetal. TO the necessity of having that
ounce Of prevention. Within a COM
paratively brief space Of time there have
been four recorded hold-ups in TWO of
which ladies We're knocked down by
negro bruteS in attempts to steal the.1
pocketbooks. Among the numerous
rC1bberies, the hoolGest occurred in the
very heart of the city, where a safe
| was dynamited and only sheer good
tuck preserved the proprietor Of the
| place from being robbed Of thousands
Of dollars worth cs jewelry
| It is believed that the CITY Fathers
will make arrangements whereby the
force can be increased. 1t has been
demonstrated that the men recently
adder to the force have paid for them
selves since they have been in service.
| The electric light is one Of the best
policemen in the world. and one of the
cheapest. The dire need of more lights
| in the city is fully realized by all who
| have anything to do with the city gov
ernmenr, but at this time the council
| does not see its way clear to relieve the
situation, nor is it likely to 70 50 as
| long as the different members of the
| council are afraid their colleagues will
get ahead Of them in the designation
CT the location of new lights.
! The city has never felt the need Of a
| police detective, to cooperate With the
force in its work Of running down crim-
| mails, as urgently as at the present
| tune. For the past TWO years the po-
lice department has been in need Of
man to devote his entire time to detect
i've work. Occasionally officers have
| been taken from the force to run down
! criminals and recover stolen property
| but in such cases the force suffered, as
the number of coppers has never been
| any too large.