Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-08-31
ALBUQUERQUE BREAKS ALL
RECORDS AS LAW ABIDING
Policemen Make 1900 Arrests
Annually But They Do 1t With
out ViOlenCe--A Few Point
eTS Of Interest TO the wild
and Woody East"

Thomas 'McMillin, chief of police Of
Albuquerque is now serving his tenth
year as chief and during all that time
he has never carried a siX-shooter i
club, black jack on any weapon of
any sort
Not an officer of the Albuquerque
police force carries a club and only
the night men, whose duty ii Is to
patrol the dark alley ways and pro-
| tect property i'm all parts of the city,
carry siX-shuOters or small black
jacks.
The policemen of this city have
never shot or wounded man and
have never beaten up man.
This applies to "A period covering
| over a dozen years and, in fact, prob
| able To that period which has elapsed
since Albuquerque was frontier
town and law and order were enforc-
| ed by the usual frontier methods.
The police department makes am
| average of lS0O arrests annually and
most of them are for petty breacnca
| Of city ordinances.
| This makes Interesting reading 10
| residents Of the effete east who i'm
| agine albuquerque is in the center
| of ,he wild and woolly west"
As a matter of fact this city is The
| most peaceful and law abiding for its
| size of any place I'm the country.
There are fewer crimes particular
| ly Of a serious nature committed in
| albuquerque than any other town of
/ the same population in the country.
The personnel of the Albuuuerque
| police department is above the aver
| age. The officers are all big men,
| physically able TO handle any ordinary
| man without violence. They are fear
less and they attend to business. When
| they have occasion to use force,
| which is seldom, they generally ind
hlfV lists "a
| and a black and blue spot on the
| anatomy of the victim replaces a frac-
/ tured skull or other serious injury
| common after a fracas with the po-
| ice in most cities
How Tncy DO Ii.
| The vagraut law Of the city
/ which is practically a copy of The
| territorial LAWS responsible for the
| peace and quiet of Albuuuerdue to "a
| great extent" said Chief McMillm to-
| day, when Citizen reporter asked
| MIN for an explanation.
| Under that ordinance" said the
chief, 1--WE are enabled to arrest
| promptly all vagrants, buns, loafers
and other ood-for-nOthing charac-
4 lers We order these men to leave
l the city fine them and place them
| It work with the chain gang or look
| up their records and turn them over
| o the proper authorities. As a re-
| ult, there are, | might say, no worth
'ess criminals without means of sup
| port within our city slimIts Show
| ne one, if there is and he won't be
acre long. except as our guest.
| Officers are Humane.
| our officers said the chief, ARE
| 4 humane set of men. They do nol
| use violence of any kind except as a
last resort. When they know they
have bad man to arrest they 90
II lF u ..,.. Is
I possible 10 effect his capture quickly
| and easily, We have arrested some
| bad men heTe--not many, for they
| don't come here-but we have never
had To club a man and never expect
| 10. We couldn't for We don't carry
| clubs.
Eighteen Years Experience.
| Il have been an officer for eighteen
years and / do not consider that a
| man has to convert himself into
| walking arsenal TO be good police
man. The night policemen carry six
shooters and IL is right they should.
The day men carry siX-shonters when
| they want to. We have no order to
| the contrary The officers should take
| such precautions as they deem nee
| essary for their own protection but !
| consider IL to their everlasting credit
| that they never have felt it necessary
to use their guns.
When lie Quit.
| 81 quit carrying arms q long time
ago. the chief continued. When /
Was young man aud just serving my
first term as an officer, / had occas-
| ion tu arrest hobo one night lie
started To- jail with me peaceubIy hut
suddenly turned ana struck me with
his fist ! fought with him but could
not subdur him. suddenly ] remem-
berrd that / had % club boz my belt
/ drew 10 and struck the man twice