The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-09
INDEXING AUTO SPEEDERS
POLICE CARD SYSTEM MAKES
IDENTIFICATION EASY.
And II the Habitual Criminal Law Is En-
forced the speed Maniacs May Find
Themselves In Real Trouble Graft
the BICYCLE Policemen Might Get.

There are more than Al ,OOc automobiles
registered in New Y ERIK State and about
half Of them are owned in New York city
There are ISL bicycle policemen and thirteen
motorcycle policemen in the city, 80
personal acquaintance with all the cars
and all the driver il an impossibilitv.
The limit of speed in the city being eight
! miles an hour. there are plenty of chances
for policemen working for II record TO
make arrests Indeed IL may I've said that
except when thev are actually at a standstil
all automobiles hreak the law
Bicycle policemen rarely IL ever take in
any except the worst offenders The men
who drive cars from twenty 70 forty miles
an hour in the city streets get arrested hut
it is unusual to hear Of men being taken
in for going ten miles an hour, although that
is a violation of the Law az it stands. Not
only the automobile owners hut the police
men believe that the law should be reformed
SO that arrests should be left to the discre-
ton OF the officer. Driving eight miles an
hour or even less past a schoolhouse letting
out is dangerous, not to say criminal The
law permits it, however. On the other
hand, there are places and occasions where
a much faster pace is possible without
w W MY ySh iSBoty DNN
Arrests Of chauffeurs have increased
greatly in number OF late. The professional
drivers Of cars have all manner Of devices
for evading the penalties of the law, but
there is a sort Of rogues' gallery system
at Headquarters now which is good enough
to hold them in almost all the cases.
When an automobiles lie arrested. on
the card at Headquarters is entered the
| liOapaa pprnhar ~ tho Oar the mama nf the
person arrested and his license number
il he is a professional driver. Owners do
not have to have licenses. The name
and address Of the owner figure on another
line OF the card, with the name OF the chsuf-
feur. The place and date Of arrest. the
charge and the name Of the officer making
the arrest figure on a third line on the card.
Then follow the name Of the Magistrate
in the case and the disposition of the case,
The date Of the settlement Of the case and
! the name Of the commander of the precinct
where the arrest was a are on the bot
tom Of the card.
These bits OF information cover the case
thoroughly for the time being. Formerly
when a chauffeur was arrested, except for
the accident of his being arrested twice
by the same man or Of a policeman who had
arrested him before being in court. the
driver could say that he had not been ar
| rested on any other occasion and get away
with it. Furthermore the simple device of
giving a false name or a wrong license
number would ave him.
Now, however, the information jotted
down on the card helps to determine
whether or not the man is telling the truth,
Take a typical case on the cards at head
quarters. A chauffeur. whose name may
be written James johnson, was arrested
in November of last year for going 22H
which really was his. The name of the
owner did not correspond to the license
number on the car, but that was not con-
sidered an important matter. The mans
case went to Special Sessions.
That case was pending whe. he was ar
rested the following month. He gave the
same name. but,said that he had no license
number. The charge then was Of operat-
ing without a license, in addition to speed
ing. That case also went to Special Ses-
sions. A third arrest was made in Brook
Ign, this time in March of this year. before
his first case had been passed on in Special
Sessions. He was released under suspended
sentence in Brooklyn, the charge being
only that he was going fifteen miles an
hour. He gave his name as Peter johnson,
and his license number the same as in the
first arrest.
Then his two Special Sessions cases
came up IN new 10TH. ne WAS lllleu go
on the first charge and $50 on the second.
In May Of this year he was arrested again
for speeding snd for operating without a
license. He then gave his name as Paul
johnson. He was held for trial. Three
days later he was arrested again, as James
P. johnson, at thirty miles an hour. Again
he was held for trial.
Sergt. Mallam, who has charge of the
card index system, says that a man OF this
kind could be traced only through the card
euatapo md chat hio violations If lnw hara
been 80 persistent that he is dangerous to
the public.
The police nave in mind a device for
dealing with persistent violators Of the law
which ought effectually to brighten Of
tenders. Section 900 OF the Penal Code
makes il possible to declare a habitual
criminal any person who is convicted for
the sixth time of a miedemeanor. The fact
of being a habitual criminal may entail a
severe sentence for mere disorderly con-
duct. Also many owners of cars would
dislike to have the name of being habitual
criminals.
As to the manner in which the card index
system may be got around; if a chauf-
feur after his first arrest and conviction
chooses to change his name and apply for a
new license. the police have no fixed way in
which they may make sure of the identity
OF the prisoner on the occasion of a second
arrest.
There are OF course some instances in
which a policeman may enter the court
with the prisoner and meet another officer,
who will ask, What's Smith been doing?"
That isn't Smith. That's Jones'" the
other may reply.
We'll. ! arrested him last Sunday and
he gave the name OF Smith" That will Of
course lead to an investigation.
The only thing that will stop that Of course
is a system Of pictures to go with the license
cards issued to the chauffeurs. The nature
OF the crimes committed does not permit
Of making regular rogues' gallery pictures
for Headquarters. But IL it were required
that chauffeurs' pictures be placed in a
booklet containing their license numbers
the police would have an Identification
which could not be lodged. That plan il
likelyto be suggested soon. although 80 many
licenses have been issued that It would be
almost impossible TO make IL apply every
where. However, notice might be sent
out that on after a certain date all licenses
would hRve to be renewed ann then the
chsuffeurs might be required 10 send pict-
ures with their applications.
Bicycle policemen generally have a hard
time convincing those whom they arrest
that they have been speeding. The average
policeman says that when he holds up a man
who has been going twenty-fve@ niles an
hour and tells him that he vas moving
twenty miles an hour. the man says that II