The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-04-19

| from the city treasurers record the fol-
| lowing statement of fines and forfeits:
For the year ending March 81, 1894
7oo-25. and for the three years of the
! present administration sizes. 1870. or an
average of s3,OO4 for each month.
! Thinking it would be 10 the interest of
the city council. as well as the taxpayers
! of the city, have made an investiga-
| ton of the records from July, 1898, when
! the police commissioners were abolished,
/ and find that up 10 this time the city
has received from fines and forfeits the
sum $lg7.S71.4T
During the past year the members of
the department have made 2-459 arrests
\ detailed statement would be of ne in
| terest TO the council, but the majority
| of persons arrested were charged with
vagrancy or held for investigation; some
! for more serious charges, but according
to the verdict returned by the juries in
the district court we certainly arrested
the wrong parties.
This spring we had two boys, gradu-
ates OF the reform school, that caused
considerable trouble. They were cap
tured in Terre Haute, Ind, and instead
of bringing them back here and turning
them over TO the tender merces of a
sedgwick county jury. l caused them to
be convicted OF bringing stolen property
into the state of Indiana, and they now
have three years in the Indiana state
prison in which TO learn the error Of
their ways.
Nearly all police departments at the
present time are equipped with a covered
patrol wagon. and l would recommend
that d cover be placed on ours. from a
humane standpoint. for our wagon IS
used TO convey the sick and injured 70
our hospitals, and while we can protect
them from the joIts ana jars of rough
road. they are exposed TO all kinds Of
weather. as well as the gaze and stare
OF the curious.
The cit! reeds a work-house, but III
the absence of one We have used the
prisoners the past year in cleaning out
the alleys, picking UP cans. taking broken
limbs and timber out Of Chisholm creek,
and last, but most important, painting
the entire city building. I would rec
ommenu that the city purchase about
five carloads Of rock and viii furnish
the street commissioner with crushed
rock. for. outside of cleaning up the al
leys and finishing the work on Chisholm
creek. We have nothing for the prisoners
TO do To while away their happy hours.
The question that interests every citi-
zen IS Is our police department efficient
and up-to-date in preventing and detect
ing crime? in answer to the above |
viii ell your attention to the fact that
during our street fair last fall. several
clrcuses and the Republican and Demo-
cratic conventions large number of
strangers visited our city. Did any of
them lose their pocketbooks or diamonds,
by either picIpockets. hold-ups or sneak
thieves? Net one reported. This is a
record We are proud of and one that we
may never be able to make again. This
record was made possible by the vigilant
and effective work of the detectives and
patrolmcn. They did not stop at twelve
hours. but worked from fourteen to
eighteen hours daily during On street
fair
In conclusion, / beg to thank his honor.
the mayor, and the members Of the city
council for the ready assistance extended
during the past year and l wish to con-
vey to all members Of the department
my earnest congratulations for their
hearty cooperation and very efficient ser
vces.
Respectfully submitted
FRANK S. BURT,
Chief Of Police.