Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-25
TIE UNRULY SMALL BOY
hs hakes TToubls FeI the PreDsIb
 OwnoB and EIldes to PoIce.

"nen anything appears in the DO.
 pers regarding police protection 1t
 irequently creates false impression
 Tn the minds of some folks, who take
 Y TOT knock. and as conseouence
 too little appears in the papers about
 these matters for the public good.
 ano when something is said 1t is dis
 posed or rather lightly by the povers
 taat pc, and for this reason numbers
 UI abused persons prefer to swallow
 tneir Indignation rather than make
 an appeal for help when thev feel
 snat IL will not amount to anything
 rroDaDly people are receiving all the
 protection that can be expected vifh
 .ne present number of men. but If
 .nIs pc the cause the city should have
 more omcers, and if this cannot be
 oone right away the beats should be
 spread out so that what protection
 tnere IS will not be confined to n few
 l! something like this should be done
 all would soon feel the need of m.L.
 ing provision to employ more man
 ana all sections of the town would
 nave some measure of police protec-
 uon. Before consolidation, when the
 town had a certain number of con
 stables. the outside districts were
 Detter policed than they have been
 at any time since, although taxes ara
 considerably higher. Where this
 condition of things obtains there
 must be something wrong. and if
 might just as well be admitted that
 many attribute the cause to a littja 100 much leniency on the mart of
 the officers. A committee repreaent- ing large interests on South Leonard steet called at the Democrat ofYlce tn-
 day and stated that they are actnaiIv terrorized down there by a hand nr aDout twenty-five or thirty vounp. sters, who own the whole district
 Lney respect nobody and nothing is ,oo sacred for them to lay sacre-
 hgious hands upon. Women are in- suited. men abused and property
 wantonly destroyed. and those not m the ring have no redress.
 m reply to a question as to why tne aggrfeved parties had not re- ported the facts to the police sta- ton, they said they had been there and were received courteousIy. hnt that was all. The head of the de. partment didn't see what he could do to help them. This is rather rough on people who are paying for police protection, but 1t isn't any, thing unusual.
 Why don't you have a talk with the parents of the disturberss" We have done that more than q hundred times" replied one of the committee. but without any satis- factory results. Tn fact experience nas taught us that the very worst move you can make in such A case IS 10 treat the parents of such chil- dren to the courtesy of talking to them about the conduct of their boys. They won't believe, and inc oaiy thing you get out of 1t is lot
 How about getting their names ana turning them over to the prose- ucting attorney?" asked the reporter. The committee said that that was inc last resort and that they had made up their minds to try it, although thev Knew 1t was hard to pay others for doing something and then have to turn around and attend to 1t them- serves. They stated that an officer IS rarely seen in that part of the town and that when one does take a stroll down that way he makes 1t a point to see nothing. This is not iair. The police should make regu- lar calls into that part of the town. and they should have their eyes open, too. What kind of police work do you call 1t that leaves neighbor- hood at the mercy of a dozen or more poys whose parents don't care what damage they do so long as they feel that there Is no danger of their get ting into trouble? The officer moves into sight and the army of youne- sters scamper away. Then the ofi- Ger surveys the field triumphantIv and after a pause he marches away ana immediately the boys return to the haunts. This is repeated once or twice every other week. Do you call this police protection It is simply throwing away money to pay men for that sort of service. When boys persist in annoying their neigh bors and their parents show no dis position to control them then if is up to the police department to run them into the lookup and the idea of saying that they can't catch them Is the most ridiculous thing of all. It Is the easiest thing in the world to get hold of those young rowdies If the police only cared to, but they don't. and the boys know 1t and that is why the trouble continues.
 The committee left somewhat dis pleased at the reception they re- ceived. for in brief they were told that if the police and the parents of the tormentors have failed to do their duty the people should have taken steps to protect themselves, by get ting the names of the leaders of the gang and taking them into the courts. Men are fools to put up with that sort of thing and the South Leonard street committee were told that the treatment they are receiving is good enough for them so long as they are too modest to take steps to defend themselves. They have two plans in mind. one being a visit in a body of all the owners of property to the board of safety and the collecting of evidence to warrant conviction and then trying what can be done in the The chances are that they won't try either. and in the mean time. the good little boys will con- 'iuue to make fhfurs hmm