The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-09
ROBBERIES FEWER THIS YEAR.
POLICE POWERLESS 70 STOP SOME
KINDS or PLL'NDERING.
The BOY Guarded Apartment House Easy
for Sneaks- Burglars Undetectsble In
Closed Houses More Arrests Than
Eyer VleTora- pOaaihie Precautions,

Tor Snehks-u uTBiuTb SuuStoc'sn'e So
CIosed Houses More Arrests Than
Ever Defore-POsslblc Precautions.
Commissioner MoAdoo gave out yester-
day at Police Headquarters table showing
the number OF robberies and arrests in each
precinct between July and Sept. OF each
Of the last three years.
The table shows that in these months OF
1903 there we're $3.50 burglaries, robber1es
and thefts In the boroughs OF Manhattan
and The Bronx and that 293 arrests were
made, giving a percentage OF IS per cent.
Of arrests to cases reported In 1904 dur
ing the same period there were s75 cases
reported and 800 arrests, or percentage
of ST. In the present year 1888 cases have
been reported and 1884 arrests made, or
percentage of 40 Of arrests to cases reported.
A comparison between this year and last
shows that there were 81 fewer cases re-
ported and A more arrests made.
The precinct which leads the list for the
number OF burglaries Is the Thirty first.
The station house is in West 126th street.
Acting Captain James F. Thompson COM
mands there. During August. 1908, In this
precinct there were So cases Of burglary
or theft reported and not an arrest was
made. In 1904 there were SO cases reported
and only arrests. In the present year
there were 80 cases and 4 arrests.
After giving the table to the reporters.
the Commissioner added
This report is hardly fair to the police,
because the cases reported in September
Of this year are so recent that the police
have hardly had time to clear them up
Later in the day the Commissioner issued
a statement in which he said;
"Apa rtment house robteries are not
any more numerous no " than hitherto.
but they are sufficient to call for the utmost
police vigilance. In NEST Of the apart
ment houses, even Of the better class, espe.
cially in summer. the front door is wide
open. There is generally boy, sometimes
very small one, running the elevator
Adjoining the elevator is the stairway
While the elevator is running no one uses
the stairs.
"All clever crook has to do is to know
what apartment Is temporarily unoccupied,
20 UP by way of the stairs when the elevator
Is not on the first floor and take all the
time he wants TO break into an apartment
on any floor above the first. | would be
willing to make a. fair wager that could
leave this Office now, go up to an apartment
house l know and where / am stranger
to the boy on the elevator, 60 up by the
stairs, and If l can succeed in gaining an
entrance to the apartment. load the own
ers valuables into q valise, ring the bell,
come down the elevator with the boy,
no questions asked, go out the front door,
stand on the corner and hail cab CT wagon
and drive of.
She owners Of many apartment houses,
especially as q matter Of economy m sum
mer, very rarely put man at the front
door. Even in the winter it is generally
an understood boy, who gets probably
about So OF 81 a week and is most OF the
time immersed in some bloodcurdling
romance. The protection which the own
ers of these apartment houses should give
in this respect would be an intelligent man
at the door to notice those who enter or
leave the building and who should be &C
quainted with the tenants. The janitor
has other duties. OF course, and ne cannot
watch the movements OF the people coming
in and going out.
In the matter of robbing private houses
in the rich residential se ctions OF the city,
the up to date methods which give large
the thief to use as base Of opera-
tions an apartment house in the vicinity
and in line with the dwelling house. He
can 60 into the apartment house as was
done in recent case where the thief or
thieves went through the door Of the apart
ment house, with small stepladder such
Gs is used by men to ne gulate electric lights,
ascend boldly to the roof or floor on the
level with adjoining roof, without exciting
any suspicion, lay the ladder across to
the roof and once there easily open the
souttle and rob the house at his leisure,
coming back again by way Of the apartment
house.
Where a private house is entirely unoc-
curied, without even servants or caretakers,
il the thief ca n once get an entrance, prefer
ably by the scuttle, the police have no
means of knowing his presence and de
might rema in in there as long as he wished,
until the family returned There Is no
possible police vigilance that will nable
them to know Of the presence Of the thief
in house under these circumstances.
on any block, say block of houses tempo
rarilv vacst ted, he can go from one roof to
another and down each scuttle. so that he
might very easily enter every house IN
would he very much better il the owner Of
house containing valuf bles: on going
away for the summer. would leave his
address and a description of the premises
at the nes rest police station, more espec taliy
il he is not going to have a serva mt or care
taker on the premises. 1t would then no
the duty Of the police capta in, on receiving
information, to take quick notice of anv
unusual circumstances in or about the
building.
many, where the movements Of tenants
and guests at hotels have to be. reported
to the police Of course the situation would
be entirely different. AS it is now, ! am
enjoining the captains in the various pre-
cincts especially where there are apart
ment houses. to request the janitors to
give them prompt notice of new tenants
coming in 80 that any attempt to locate
for illegal purposes may be checked. This
was successfully done in the past by Of
fcers like Inspector Brooks. and ! believe
the rule is good one. II the janitor and
owner want TO protect the tenan they
can do 30 to great extent by giving us
prompt notice about the movements of
the people in the building and they should
call our attention at once to- any sus-
ri Il dis occupants. Such information would
be treated as strictly co nfidential.
$50 far as the police are concerned the
robberies, especially in apartment houses,
seem to be perpetrated by class Of Dung
thieves not yet sufficiently advanced in
crime to have as it were, q professional
rating or to be gazetted in the Detective
Bureau.
Among the many names sent to the Com
missioner to consider for honors only one
policeman re-ei-el honorable mention.
Berr ard Feist Of the Thirty-first rrecinot
was tre man. Although Ne was shot at and
attacked by sure -ior numbers, Feist single
handed. ra- AIRED to land three prisoners
accused Of theft.
New P0stmaster At Corning.