The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-11-24
Is the Only Means of secur-
ing Proper Police
Protection.
FORCE INADEQUATE.
Chief Rinbach Points to the Austgen
Safe Blowing as an Ex-
ample.

So many complaints have been made
regarding the "inefciency" Of the
Hammond police force that THE LAKE
COUNTY TIMES this morning sent a re-
porter to interview Chief Rimbach as
to the cause of the inadequacies of his
department and gain suggestions as
to remedies therefor
The chief is making no apologies for
the manner in which the department
has been conducted He has no apoI-
ogies to make. He has, however, been
confronted with problems that have
seemed impossible Of solution and it
is remarkable that the city OF Ham
mond has not been over-run with vic
ious criminals, instead of being only
occasionally visited by them.
The substance of the interview with
his is as follows:
'The metropolitan police law allows
that class Of municipalities, in which
this law Is operative, one policeman
TO every one thousand inhabitants.
When the last census was taken Ham
mond had a population of $4,000 peo-
pie and was therefore allotted twelve
police officers. The growth of the city
the force has become entirely made
quate for the protection of the city.
There is a provision Of the law
that provides for this contingency in
two ways. One Is for the city council
to appropriate the sum required for
the additional officers and pay their
salaries out of the city treasury, and
the other is to have a special census
taken and then appoint an additional
patrolman for every addition one thou
san people that have been added to the
population since the last census was
taken.
"A conservative estimate of the pop
ulation of Hammond would place 1t at
10000. and this would permit the addi-
tion of eight more police officers to
the force. The mayor and city coun-
ell are, however, opposed to the met
ropolitan police law and although it
lies in their power to grant the neces-
sary relief the prospects are that the
people of this city will have to wait
until 1910. when the next census is
taken. to get additional police officers.
BY that time the population of the
city may be 10000 and although Ham
mond would be entitled to eighteen
additional police officers 1t would have
to get along with twelve.
The problem, therefore, resolves
itself into a solution of present dif1-
Culties and these are very great The
police force is composed of the follow
ing men besides myself: A desk SER
geant, two captains merchant police
man and eleven patrolmen. During
the day the whole city has the pro
lection of but four officers. one of
whom is on the Robertsdale detail, one
at the desk in the police station, an
other at the four corners and the
fourth in the territory between the
Michigan Central tracks and Sibley
street.
AT night the other eight are de-
tailed as follows: One man is allotted
to Robertsdale. another has all the
territory in Hammond north of the
river. the third has the territory be-
tween the river and the Michigan Cen
trail tracks, the fourth has the four
corners. the fifth has all Of the terri
tory between the Michigan Central
tracks and Sibley street, and east of
the Erie tracks to the city limits: the
sixth covers the territory between
Sibley and Clinton streets, the seventh
covers all south of Clinton, and the
eighth remains at the station.
1T VIII be seen at glance that it
would be impossible for a man to
cover a beat of the size OF some of
those described above with any degree
of efficiency, and yet there are people
who will COMPLAIN of the inefficiency
OF the police 5rce.
When it comes to the merchant po-
lice, who is partly paid by the city
and mostly by the business men, it is
preposterous to think of him covering
the beat that is laid out for him. II
is customary in most cities of this
size for the merchant police to try
the doors of the various places OF
business once each hour, but in this
city 1t is impossible for the man doing
this kind of police duty to get around
more than four times night. and the
rounds are seldom made more than
three times. BY the time the officer
tries the door OF the grocery on the
north side or at the corner Of Calu-
met avenue and State street and ther
gets back and tries the door of the
business house in South Holman
street, burglars might have broken in
and carried off everything valuable
as they did from Austgen's store.
when some OF the officers are sicH
as two of them are at present, the
police districts have to be enlarged
still more. and in some cases it i.
ridiculous the amount Of work an of
Acer is expected to do