The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-01-02
THE CITY POLICE FORCES.
Their Numerical Strength. Cost. and
the Test uf efficiency.


There are $500 New York policemen. a
larger number than the force OF any other
city in the country ald larger number
by several hundred than the various Givi-
siOns Of the Greater New YOrk had col
leCuvely before consolidation. There are
5000 policemen in the city Of Paris the
proportion OF police 20 inhabitants being
larger than IL is in the city OF London
There are 90. 600 policemen lH Great
Britain or these England has q a32,
Scotland. 4.I44- Ireland. 1-I65- Wales.
l.2S3. the Isle OF Man % Liverpool has
1885, Glasgow 1920 Dublin I2r- and
Manchester 1923.
the number OF policemen in the city OF
London Is l6,4t5 according 90 the last off,
cIal report, but the police district OF Lon
don includes large amount Of outlying
rural and suburban territory with a p1pu-
lation OF hoo 600 exclusive of the p0pu-
lalon o. London proper. which is 4f0G. 900.
The London police district covers an area
twelve miles by fifteen with 1000 miles Of
streets or roads and the duty OF patroIing
these accounts very largely for ,be ex-
tcnsive membership OF the force when
compared with that Of most American
cities
Chicago has g. go policemen. and The aver
age number Of arrests in a year amounts
10 s5.eno though during the period Of the
Worlds Fair 10 was considerably higher.
Boston has 200 policemen, Baltimore. 500.
81 Louis l-Ioo- Philadelphia. $500, Gin
ciunau 600 Cleveland. 450. ptr.Oi, 55e-
Washington 900 san Francisco $50, PITTS
burg, 800 and New Orleans. 32o
Among foreign cities Paris stands frst.in
the number Of policemen compared with
the whole population, and Palermo. Italy.
stands lowest with The smaUe5. ana least
expensive police force. Capital cities as
rule require more police protection Than
other cities even of larger population. for
as the number or trau~ituts lu a city in
creascs- the demand for police service ad-
vances. and the expenses OF maintenance
Increase coTreSpOudiuE.y. The test Of ef-
ncieucy i'm a police department is not the
number Of men engaged. but their capacity
FOR making arrests Of the right persons at
the right time. and under conditions which
VIII be mos, favorable 90 their discharge II
innocent or their conviction u guilty. \
recent report Of the Chicago chief Of police
showed the number OF arrests in that city
for the crime Of homicide 10 have been 125
within the period covered OF those ar
rested, 8 were executed. 20 We're sentenced
20 terms Of imprisonment. were sent to
the reformatOry al Pontiac. Il were &C
quilted, and 46 cases were sui pending at
the time Of the report.
In New York the number Of arrests in a
year for felony amounts 20 about 1000 by
the detective bureau. and the number OF
convictions from such arrests is about 400
The number OF arrests for hOUici1e IN q
year-homicide or MURDERS about 900
and the proportion Of convictions is de i'd
eddy larger than il is in the CiJy OF Chicg-
go, " hich expends for its police DEPART
ment IN year about oue-third o. the sum
paid by New York
The expense Of the Philadelphia Police
( Department is s.. IO0. Or0 wear, and the eX-
. pense OF the Boston Police Department is
Z 3. 550 600 or One-haIf the expense OF The
Philadelphia department The present p
ulatiOn 81 Boston is estimated .. $50 0C0
and that OF Philadelphia ] 400, 600 Be'a-
lively. therefore. the Boston Police / epar.-
ment is the more expensive Of the two, and
this apparent discrepancy is due TO the fact
that the number Of transient yi=i OIs TO
Boston is considerably larger than the
number into Philadelphia. regarded usually
as a home city the duties Of the police
department Of which are chiefly In the line
OF maintaining order. The expense Of the
New York Police Department for 1900 is
$4,000 0OO approximately, OF which So
200, 900 is for police salaries, 100000 for
supplies. and the balance for rentals and
contingencies.