The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-06-17
NO INCREASE
FOR POLICEMEN
IN q YEARS

The police commissioners are still con-
sidering the request from the members of
the department below the grade and pay
OF captain for the material advance in
wages
OF course. the commissioners have the
power to grant an increase to the men.
or to add so or more patrolmen to che
force without consulting the city council.
but II would be attempting to make
"bricks without straw" to do so, as the
council makes the appropriation for the
salaries and expenses of the police de-
partment. exercising it's perogative Of
cutting down appropriations. or estimates,
wherever It has an economy spasm.
While the police claim much OF extra
duty and cite the fact that witness fees
are diverted TO the police pension fund. Of
which they alone are the benehciaries, no
demand has yet come to discontinue tho
pension system, nor is 1t declared that an
Increase OF 20 per cent in the number of
patrolmen, as Is proposed by the commits
sioners, would not materially lessen hours
OF extra duty" All Of which shows
that it is more pay rather than less
work and no pensions that the police de-
sire.
The police argue that despite the In
creasing standard of wages and living ex-
penses. they are In receipt Of less income
than they had a score OF years ago. for
not only has there been no advance In tho
scale of pay since 1885. but the commits
sioners reduced their income by diverting
witness fees to the police pension fund,
all the money for which comes directly
out OF the pockets of the active police
men themselves.
The court fees so to the pension fund
with / per cent OF the regular pay OF the
men and all the money paid by proprie-
tors of stores, places OF entertainment.
etc, for extra detail work. If an officer
is absent from duty on leave his pay Is
"docked" another officer does his work
without extra pay and the money thus
saved goes 90 the pension fund also.
While IL Is admitted that Providence
ranks well when its police pay table is
compared with that OF other cities. 1t Ia
asserted that other cities do not as rule
make the extraordinary calls for overtime
that are steadily being made on the Prov
idnece policemen.
Since 1885 there has been a constant in
crease in detail work such as duty in de-
evenings and duty at crossings. Take.
for instance, the month OF May, in which
the night men OF the Central district
averaged 103 hours each on outside de-
tails, exclusive of regular hours OF travel.
Every night six patrolmen are kept at
the Central station for fires In the centro.
which is not included in the above-men-
toned l08 hours. A patrolman goes on
duty at o'clock a. m. and works until
s a. m. At o'clock p. m OF the same
day he again goes on duty and works
until a. m. Then he is off duty "a hours.
He alternates with long day and
short day off All the detail work must
be done on the long day, so that these
103 extra hours are divided among the 10
long days. nearly seven hours day OF
unpaid overtime. The short days call
for IL hours OF duty
This overtime all comes out of the time
men are supposed to be free from duty.
II includes for the night man duty at
street crossings, calls TO fires In daytime
details to baseball grounds, department
stores and parades. station duty days and
telegraph duty at stations. The day men
are not free from the calls for overdme
in what should be their off time. for here
are concerts and balls for them. The the
atres formerly also called on the depart
msnt for details.
PATRoLMsN ASK FOR $1,000.
- The petition asks for sl400 for the leu
tenants, who now receive sl17b; $500 for
the sergeants, who now receive $11S. and
1920 for patrolmen. who receive $lo90.
In other cities. the Providence Officers
claim regular men are assigned for sta
ton and patrol wagon dutv. and patrol
no beats. In the Central district OF the
city night patrolman who Is on station
duty from 8 a. m. to p. m. as one day,
goes out on patrol at O'Clock the fol-
lowing morning TO travel for seven hours.
This combination comes once In every IL
DAYS in the Central district and about as
often In the other districts. In the Sew
enth Il comes about every ninth day.
Few OF the Central district OFFICERS have
had more than one free day In six weeks
They assert that there 10 little popular
conception of the hours they have TO
serve and say that their claim for an ah-
vance in pay will have stronger support
when the facts are known.