The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-08
CITY AFFAIRS.
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It Is learned that there IS a move
ment among the business men Of the
city to petition council that the police
department be given five additional
men, and II the petition results In ia
bic action It is the intention OF
Chief Clemans to inauguratei a detec-
tive force In connection with the uni
formed force OF patrolmen. Gi u
In the course Of conversation last
night, Chief Clemans said: u.
YES, there is movement on foot
among the merchants to petition coun-
ell to give us authority to put onSmore
men. Ny idea Is to have Ave additional
men. and form them into atdetective
force in addition to the regular uni
formed patrolmen. 1t is an adages In
police circles that q smart man not: IN
uniform can accomplish as much In the
long run In apprehending criminals as
five officers in uniform, and 1t Is in. just
this particular that our Wheeling po-
lice department Is especially i'lacking.
/ would have two df these ununiformed
men on duty during the day and three
at night, and the territory they would
cover would be the business district.
where there IRE nine banks and five
large tjewelry stores. besides many 9TH
er establishments, including office
buildings. all offering an inviting field
for the crook. In this district, after II
o'clock (midnighD there Is but;one off,
Ger now. and the territory cannot be
covered properly with our, present
force. & " So. /. s:3;1I
I'VE have been very successful lately
in bagging criminals. and We can
eclipse our record II given the addi-
.tional force I have spoken Of. There
Is more need OF this added protection
Just now than ever before. Here is n
paper, describing the work OF the Chi
cago police In deportins criminals and
suspected criminals from that city.
Hundreds have been sent out from CHI
cago, and other large cities are doing
the same thing. Where do these, peo-
pie go? you ask. Why. they go to the
smaller cities, like Wheeling. Re-
Gently we have had some OF these men
in our midst. and while We are doing
our best to rid the community. OF them.
still we are handicapped BY. q small
force and the absence of any detectives
at all. AZ !,
.'If we can get these additional off,
GERS, and council will authorize us to
take out membership In the National
Bureau Of Identification. the city will
be better protected than at any time in
the past The Bertillon system used in
the Bureau OF Identification, as you de-
scribed 1t In the 1ntelligencer a few
days ago, Is :, great ard almost .ndts-
pensable' aid In Identifying suspects,
captures. We ought to have 1t here
by all means. Many cities even small
er than Wheeling have ;it."5 ~
The chief is also an advocate Of In
Producing the Gamewell police signal
telegraph system into Wheeling. Very
high structural iron, towers IRE built
throughout the city, and whenever
headquarters wants to communicate
with an officer. button is touched and
n red light shows from the tower at
night and semaphore during daylight:
AT present officers have recourse to,
drug stores restaurants and hose,
houses to report to headquarters, and
after midnight only from the hose
houses. Besides being troublesome to
these people. officers cannot be called
up Immediately when wanted. For
merly the men reported by telephone
every two hours. but now they report
Il detachments every halls hour, but;
even that Is not entirely satisfactory
sometimes an officer Is wanted In half n,
minute, but OF course 1t Is impossible to
get one In that time. The Gamewelf
system would cost $4,000, but Chief
Clemans says 1t would be worth the
price and more. go
"The fire department has been
brought up TO state OF high eiilclen-
cy: now 1t Is the police departments
turn" said Chief Clemans. ~.