Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-12-15

among its high police officers, may
remodel its entire police system, dou,
BILE the numerical strength of the
force and copy the police system OF
Berlin.
The revelations of the association
Of Chicago police with criminals and
quasi-Criminals in the LAWN trial,
the startling inference that the men
supposed to be guarding Chicago
homes may be leading bands of rob-
bers against them, and the even more
recent charges of James Edgar
Brown, the criminologist, condemn
ing Chlcago's police system, have
caused a wave of sentiment in favor
of reform, utter and complete, in the
police systems of the city.
James Edgar Browns charge that
it is a bald, horrible fact that con-
ditions existing to-day in Chicago are
the most criminal and damnable of
any large city on the face of the
earth" has aroused police protest and
denial-and the police themselves
have declared the Chicago system as
good as that of Berlin in the face
of the fact that Mr.. Brown proved
that serious crimes In Chicago were
six to one more numerous than those
of Berlin.
The movement in favor OF adoption
of the Berlin system of policing the
city has brought -ou~--->--->'' ,s.l-,tc-7--
of the
Chicago system admit that it has seri-
Gus faults and that in results it can
not compare with that of Berlin. The
greatest protest is made against the
Berlin system % registration of all
persons in the city-a system used in
all German cities. Yet Mr.. Brown
and his hackers have proved by fig
ures that the escape of criminal in
Germany practically is unknown,
while the huge percentage of Chicago
criminals escape and never are
traced.
If the friends of the Berlin system
succeed in establishing it in Chicago,
every person in the city will be regis
tered at the nearest police station
and complete records Of his comings
and goings, his movements and in
tended movements, his business, his
family and his servants will be kept.
The police then will be able, night
or day, to find or trace any person
within the city within a short time.
The Berlin system, its friends
claim, will kill at one blow the bail
bond evil, will decrease crime to the
minimum and give the maximum of
The Berlin system, in a nutshell,
If applied to Chicago, would consist
of the following:
Stricter immigration laws.
Municipal inquiry as to the Grim
inal or pauper tendencies of all new
residents.
Registration of all residents.
Written notice of each person in
tending to leave or enter the city and
a statement of his business.
Legal prevention of the marriage
of criminals or paupers.
Doubling of the police force.
Placing of drunkenness and minor
Offenses in separate class from
crimes.
Just what the police system of
Berlin, which has proved the most
of any in the world, consists
Of, few know. Beyond the fact that
all persons are required to register
and keep the police posted as to their
and that an attempt to
depart without proper notification,
means prima facie evidence of wrong
doing, the system has not been eX-
planned.
Police officials in Chicago say
''Chicagoans or Americans wouldn't
stand for it," which is a confession
on their part that the lawless spirit
is rampant.
The Berlin police force, prior to
1 S4S, was much the same as that of
Chicago, except that there was no
grating in it. 1t was badly organ
lied and imperfectly governed. Then
some master mind worked out po-
lice system which policed the city.
Gradually the system has been per-
fected, especially the system of rec
ord keeping, which is one of the
heavy burdens, and which is attended
to by corps of clerks.
In the first place, the Berlin system
is strictly military and the force is
known as the Royal Berlin Police
Force" 1t is an honor to be mem
Der, and to be on the force there
that the officer has served his
country well in other capacities. All
policemen in Berlin must have served
at least five years in the
Prussian army and attained the rank
of non-commissioned officer. The
physical and mental requirements are
the same as those in Chicago.
When a non-commissioned officer
completes his term in the army he is
sure of good position on the police
force. He applies for admission,
shows his papers, is examined and be-
comes a member. But he Is not given
a club, a gun and helmet and sent
out to travel beat. First he attends
the police school for four weeks and
receives instruction in elementary
police affairs. After that he is sent
to his police station and kept there,
studying police duties and training
himself for the work. Eventually he
is sent out on to the street with an
policeman and shown his
ground.
What his duties are depend entire
ly upon what branch of the police
he is assigned to. Grim
inal matters, detective work, factory
the schools, sanitary mat
tiers, the erection of buildings, the
of foreigners, passports,
press, domestic servants, students
and amusements comprise the varl-
Gus branches of the department.
There is only one feature of the
Chicago police system that Berlin has
stolen and perfected, and that Is the