Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-30
PATROL BOX SYSTEM
WASHINGTON ONE OF THE FIRST
CITIES TO ADOPT IT.
A Complete Check Upon the Untrue
Police Force-Advantage Accru-
ing to the Public.

'There is one feature of city life which
Is of comparatively recent origin. yet
familiar has the public become with 1t that
were old conditions resumed there would
at once arise a loud protest" said Off
cial OF the police department this morning.
II have often been asked by citizens
what a police officer does when he stands
up before the little metal patrol box, puts
the receiver of the telephone to his ear,
says few words over the phone, locks the
box and passes on.
The police patrol system is a recognized
fixture of the police departments even in
the smaller cities. and a very important
one in the larger centers. Washington was
one of the first cities to adopt it, and in
New York the little boxes we see upon our
streets have yet to come, / understand.
There are sixty police stations in New York,
and unless they have erected the boxes
within comparatively recent period they
have yet TO begin. While each of the sta
ton houses has patrol wagon attached to
st. as here, / understand that 1t is still
called out by private telephone. the arrest
ing officer going to the nearest telephone
and making the call or having some enc
do 1t for him The Inauguration OF the
system in the metropolis would cost nov
over million. Our own. now thai II IS
well established. is maintained at COM
paratively small cost and is Indispensable to
the proper conduct of the police depart
ment.
1T was but a few years ago when the
senses of all were shocked by the almost
constant sight of the arrest II men in
various stages of intoXication, and these
unfOrtunates were often perforce dragged
along the pavement carried bodily by
two or three policemen to the nearest sta
ton house. perhaps a number Of blocks
away from the scene of arrest. II New
York 1t was a sight frequent that Ii
as accepted as one of the features of that
city TO see man who may have resisted
arrest taken to the station house In such
condition that he should not have been
exposed TO public view.
Completeness of Our Own System.
1.-The day Of these offending sights upon
our streets is happily passed. The patrol
box and the quickly summoned covered
patrol wagon have entirely changed the
former methods of making arrests, and the
disagreeable features of urban eyesore
entirely eliminated. Again, innocent men
are often charged with the commission of
misdemeanor or crime and 1t becomes the
duty of the officer to make The arrest. In
such regrettable instances the persons
Charged may be taken TO the station house
practically secure from the observation Of
pedestrians who may chance to notice the
patrol wagon hurrying along on its journey.
The system serves many useful pur-
poses that only few Of the more -promi-
nent ones of public interest may be noticed
mounted and foot patrolmen OF the force
are required to ring up the station house
every hour while on duty on the hour. and
the bicycle corps every hour upon the half
hour. In this simple but thorough way the
oncials at headquarters. and the captains
at the various station houses are crablrd
90 Keep in almost constant AMI el.v-lca,
couch with every memhe~ 81 TIA ,ol:.,caf PRO
pm duty in the Dis.ric saa-a- y. heart az
She city to the mos Ts,.-,.