New-York tribune., 1903-01-26
SIX SECTIONS IN FORCE.
General Greene Hafchcs WO,h O
Nee System.
MAKES TRIP OF INSPECTION.


The six section patrol system designed by Po-
| lice Con missioner Greene to take the place OF
! the old two pIatoons, against which so many OBJ
| jections have been raised went into effect at 1
O'Clock last night. At that hour three of the six
sections went duty. Commissioner Greene
made another OF his automobile tours of inspec-
ton yesterday afternoon. He was accompanied
| by InsI ector Brooks. III the evening he visited
several stations TO see how the new patrol was
working
| The trip embraced the East Fifty-frst, East
! Sixty-seventh East Eighty-eighth East One
hundred nd fourth, East One hundred and
| twenty-sixth and West One-hundred- and -twen-
I ty-ffth SITS. stations He carefully inspected
! each station, paying particular attention to the
accommodations for the patrolmen. Soon after
he finished the tour he was seen at his home
No. SO East Thirtieth-st.
When asked what he had to say about his in
spection Re said that the stations in Manhattan
inferior to those in the other boroughs.
The best equipped station, he said, outside of
Brooklyn. was the Bathgate cave. station, in The
Bronx.
Asked if he thought conditions had improved
piled:
Yes, l think there has been a marked i'm
provement. l am so informed by the sergeants
and the captains, and from what have seen
think they are correct. The first Sunday that
] made a of inspection at least one-third of
the saloons had up, so that I could not
see into them; but to-day 1 could easily see into
every saloon that l passed. In fact, I saw no
evidences of violations of the law at all. At
the stations that I visited, too, the men seemed
to be alert, and the patroImen on the street
seemed to be wide awake
In speaking of the patrol system the
Commissioner said:
The whole trouble with the old system
that the men were expected to do more than
they could do. and they did not try to do it.
Under the present system they do What is
required Of them. and they will have to do IT.
In the near future 1 expect to do something
tn make the roundsmen more vigilant. How l
am going TO bring it about do not care TO say
at this time.
Il want to know all l learn about the
Police Department, and l think the best way
for me to inform myself is to keep making the
rounds until know all wish to know. I have
selected Saturday afternoons and Sundays for
these tours, because there is no office work to
command my attention at such times"
He said he contemplated new steps toward the
suppression of gambling in the Tenderlon, but
would not tell their nat ture.
Under the system sections one and two
went out on patrol. section three remaining in
the station reserve duty. Section one pa
trolled until II o'clock last night, when the men
went OH reserve duty the men of the third sec
ton going out patrol. Section two remained
on patrol from o'clock last evening until 8
this morning, al that hour going OH reserve
| until Z O'Clock this morning, while section three
patrolled from Il o'clock last night until this
morning
Sections four five and six We're scheduled to
go on duty at o'clock this morning the first
two named going out on patrol, the sixth section
being on reserve, and to be relieved during the
day in the same order the night sections.
This schedule continues during the week Or
next Sunday the sections will be shifted, those
having been on duty during the night taking
day duty, and the reverse. This will mean that
the night sections of this week will be duty
for twenty-four hours next Sunday, but the fol-
lowing Sunday they will be off duty an equal
length Of time.
The system has found many friends
among the members OF the force. although at
| first there was considerable complaint against
it. many of the men arguing that twelve hours
continuous duty too much. Many Of those
who objected at first however. are coming to
| look more favorably the scheme. When the
men turned out at 1 o'clock last evening in the
| Tenderlon, they seemed 20 welcome the change
Captain O'ReilIy said he thought the plan would
prove a success.
The system met with small favor among
| the policemen and sergeants in The Bronx. The
men found that their posts were in some cases
! doubled, and mounted policemen formerly pa
/ trolling two miles of road, found they had
! foUr-IIlile stretch Of snow before them. This
| was caused by the small number Of men turned
| out to do patrol duty. In the AieSander-ave
! force thirty-two patrol, instead
| OF the usual forty-nine
Then the dsmounted policemen had a special
| grievance. The system allows only thirty
| minutes for dinner There is not a restaurant
| within mile of any of The Bronx stations and
! the policemen had to carry dinner pals For
merly they were allowed hour for
| dinner.
Last night Commissioner Greene visited the
| West Forty-seventh- and the West Thirty
| eighth-st. stations and inspected the workings
| of the new system. He expressed himself as
| well pleased with the results and said he
| thought it would tend to improve the efficiency
| of the force. He inspected the as they were
| lined up preparatory to going out post
In spite OF the seeming favorable opinion held
| by the patroln2en Of the system II was
learned late last night that many of them. and
| it is asserted by far the majority do not look
| with favor Commissioner Creene's new plan.
| Away from the stations. and when they knew
there chance of their being overheard,
| the men on post assumed different attitude.
| They declared. many of them, that the cid two
1 pla toon system the better OF the two plans.
None of them would De quoted, but it
serted by more than that a movement was
on foot among the patrolmen to hold meeting
| at an early date Of the Patrolmen's Benevolent
| Association at which action would be taken re-
garding the system. II is said that COM
| mittee viii be named to wait on Mayor Low.
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