Evening star., 1900-10-12

On the last day of the year the DISPOSE
ton Of the 571 members was as follows:
At headquarters, one superintendent, one
captain and three lieutenant-inspectors;
on patrol duty. nine leutenants, twenty-six
sergeants and 315 privates. the remainder Of
the 571 being employed or reduced in this
manner: Assigned to posts, that Is, where
no patrol service is performed. 81; detec-
tives, II; other details, S4; sick, %; absent
on annual leave, 35.
1T will be seen," says the major. that
315 privates only were walking beats.
They were not all engaged at one time,
however, the system utilizing about seven
ty-eight prvates throughout the day and
157 during the night, a ridiculously small
quota for a territorial area of seventy
square miles, embracing valuable govern
ment and private improvements, and con-
tanning a population of nearly 300 900 peo-
pie. A further deduction might be made to
show the average representation of patrol
men to the square mile or the population
TO each policeman. That calculation Is al
most readily apparent to the student and
places this Jurisdiction in a lamentably
weak attitude when compared with other
municipalities.
There Is no disposition to present the
ca Sc independent Of every feature which
contributed strength to the situation: but,
In order to be consistent, the fifty-seven
members assigned to post duty should be
taken into consideration. While they were
they served a good purpose in caring for
several important points and terminals.
Those men were on duty eight hours each.
other than those accompanying patrol wa
gons. but owing to the force being insult
cient numerically, but sixteen hours atten-
ton to posts was obtaineble, leaving them
uncovered for eight hours. beyond that at
tention which could be given by the patrol
men within whose beat such posts were
located. In other words f1fty-seven pri-
Yates so assigned covered certain locations
but two-thrds OF the twenty-four hours. To
complete tho work twenty-eight additional
privates would have been necessary. No
more striking example of the inadequacy OF
the force in number could be presented.
Necessary for Protection.
Major Sylvester says the same weakness
holds good In several of the police pre-
cincts, and proper security to life and
property cannot be assured, he believes,
until Congress makes provision for the 16O
men estimated for in this and preceding
annual reports The beats in the various
police precincts. including suburban high
ways. were patrolled on the night Of June
30 after deducting absentees for various
causes, as follows: First precinct, IT pri-
Yates; second precinct, 1S privates; third
precinct. q privates; fourth precinct. ID
privates; fifth precinct, is privates; sixth
precinct, 13 prtvates; seventh precincts, ~
privates; eighth precinct. % privates; ninth
precinct, 16 privates.
About the first Of tho year, when a new
precinct will likely be In operation. II Con-
of officers and priyates for It. support must
be drawn from the precincts above enum-
Grated. On the other hand. should tho
Commissioners recommend and Congress
grant the increase estimated for, 160 pr1-
Yates. apportionment to tho ten precincts.
would mean the giving Of just eight more
for the night patrol to each OF them. or
an addition Of eight to each OF the sew