New-York tribune., 1903-01-19
The Police Force from the INSIDE
STORY sof a Paf'oiman.

pears this week in The Independent. the
article is entitled From the Poiceman's Point
of View" and the editor says that for obvious
reasons the man. who speaks frankly, stipulated
that his name should be withheld.
In this article he says in part:
When / got TO be twenty-one years OF age
tried to get on the police force. and politician
told me that he would put me on for O IN PeaT
st. and had saved little money and l agreed IL 10
room of saloon in Wiiiia1n-st and he counted
the money and said he would see me through he he
money in an envelope, and put it in his safe "hch
Its ali right, said the politician to me- You'll
I made nv application and waited three months,
but was turned iown So l to the politician
and asked him what was the reason he toio Ie tLae
claring that he never had seen it. And that was
the fact; when went to the saioonKeepep ne s'e We
that he had never seen a cent of my MONEY GO
could not make open complaint about IL %
being often arrested for keeping open after hours
and sundays. and once being nearly cIuo"eO
The poician told that would have to t3,I rass ts
S Sesnnn ofd of 1855 IS when 0 Was ready for another
attempt to get on the force made "a PncsIe
a copy of requirements which seemed to show that
was not equal to the physical requirements for
had yaricose veins in the Legs od and ne noi ws
tician about this he said could all be fixed
by means of a substitute at the examinations
hut ii4f that ~S Would TIu5G cost to csoo for himself 2o
for the substitute and $500 for the other pafs oI
after S9e T0gta 9ot tfS tfere tnS' was fe'''So vi |
/ tried to persuade him to agree take 500. but
the hest he would do was to come down to $3.50
/ then told my boss about the scheme. ana Assn asheI
was fool, and the politician was playing me Sds he
took to friend of his who kept Sivl od
school. and this man also told me MAJ tHat "ou''
be fool TO give ANYTHING to the R0uclam aIe dead
square said this the only way you can
get through is to come up to the , tn
help you. Half the men who come to me have have
/ did not say anything about the substitute subtitt
that he set me thinking and I mentioned my
varicose veins surgeon looked me 90 over ana ina ah db
force, far as the veins were concerned, Inc me
s and % alter had INQUIRED of some other friends
made up my mind TO tell the politician 10 Wl WORK
Civil E Service people were square and that money
had nothing t. do with t passing g,ar tb Surface
between the Civil Service schools and the I Podi, ill
the force who had paid nothing to their leaders
told my district leader that wa was , gong 10
The Civil Service Commissioners can put you on
'he eS0f fod the School @ teacher what the politician
had said and he showed me an eligible fst-9f
old: There were rs names on it ,,., 30. nosn
Every that was on that list mas peeh
/ inquired of my friends. the policemen about
6nt was Yery dangerous and the best way for
me to go TO the school. So ! took this advice III
Ny Y varieose Veins were fixed nm, and two NO
gcbaoI nut me in good trim for the physical
animation and l found that little study fitted
Six months after I had entered the school was
examined by the Civil Service 20 cen an
mental, and month later was aPPonteq by ,soS saS
l was assigned to duty in the precinct where
lived and reported the captain, who put me on
tended the police school of instruction where kept
up athletics and learned drill and rules s, ana ro TaT
me in TO the duties, and whom assisted III
The politician met the street shook & his his
fist in my face, and swore that ne would have me
told him he has been and that no one
two two or three times after that by means of
sergeant. who worked one night and Gay 13 ana "a a
| got myself transferred out of his district when f
means Of another leader, till at last L gave him
$500 to call ii square" .,,.
force has been growing weaker all the time, and
some of the sergeants and captains now refuse 10
The politicians pull. is founded on the nlIi rae.
Commissioner. So. when they elect mayor they
ask for a commissioner who will suit them. and
a captain who tries to enforce the blue laws. They
can move the captains d IS agoua mac bnge he ca1
make $4,000 year in addition TO his salary ana ana
So if policeman disturbs good people who are
the captain of the precinct and if he does mend
Commissioner But this seldom happens. The
patrolman who insisted enforcing all the laws
would be an idiot He would not last a month ana
would be thrown out broken and disgracfd man
HIS oleers ana conraqes woulq see 10 2 ma, 4;oc;
Since the last election We nave had IN oiiIlce
commissioners who could not be used by politicians
~ ~ rlea8 4t - u t a. rfeStI1 veil that he noiiti-
clans only down for moment. and that they
are coming back to power so why should police
men make trouble for themselves in opposition to
the present system.
Every man on the force knows that the people
don't want the laws enforced; The Mayor con-
cedes that. and promised "a liberal enforcement
which means no enforcement
That's the way that patrolmen look at the
matter. so we go with the tide. taking what comes
As / went around with the experienced policeman
during my probation he taught me al the :opes
man was from the temptation to arrest people who
'Ir You do that he said. the sergeant will
work you forty-eight hours at stretch. and finally
1t didn't take long to find out that the ser
geant could keep ne on the go III m qaopPer t II
at the end of a month. arrested a saloonkeepsr
man and the inspectors man. l got 1int 10 leave
the alone after that, but l wanted to make
wen the big fellows; l took him in again for
Soon after that came off duty and went on re-
serve. 1 went upstairs TO the dormtory to sleep
been n bed ten minutes when the sergeant called
down TO the desk and sent me out to see about
1t was fake report; When came back back he @ sent
snecial call to keep busy till | had to 20 on
J5atrol again. There are plenty of these special
rallc at a busy stationhOuse, and the sergeant can
always make some if he wants them l squared
r-atters lv apoogiZing TO the salooGkeeper.
BEFORE got the force / had heard that police
men made a deal of money in addition 20 their
saIares and after | got fairly work / found
that / was in it. OF course, when promotions
re maid for the money has from put
ms : In Manhattan as much Is $4,000 has some
times been paid for q captancy but that is nothing
81 a man gets the right kind of precinct where
he can make from $4,000 to $4,000 year As get
them the rates for protection in Manhattan have
been follows per month:
Poolrooms. from 5000 to 500; saloons & from SO to
Louses $40 TO 500; push carts. s. a week each.