The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25
BIGGY GRANTS
|. kEIL LUXURY OF
POLICE ESCORT
Chief Provides Officer to Accom-
pany the Commissioner
to Belyedere
Private Use of the Police Boat
Patrol" Not Enough for
''Nickelodium" Owner
Beat Is Left Unprotected for
Hours While PatroIman
Serves Chiefs Friend

Hugo D. Keil, resident of Belvedere
and police commissioner and nickel
todiun" owner in San Francisco, has
achieved new pinnacle of authority.
No longer is he satisfied with the
mere use of the police power boat
Patrol as a vehicle for private use on
the bay at the city's expense, but he
has added a new factotum to the al
ready elaborate complement of the
launch. This latest adjunct, dedicated
to the sole duty of assisting him to a
complete enjoyment of his power and
of ministering to his wants, is po-
lceman especially detailed as body
guard to accompany him and the crew
of the Patrol on his midnight trips
across the bay.
According to Keils way of thinking. it
is evidently not enough that generous
municipality should provide hand
same launch for his personal use and
furnish him with an engineer to run
it and fuel to make it go. He must
needs have uniformed guardian of
the public peace to lend dignity to his
triumphal midnight rides beyond the
jurisdiction Of the city. So he has ex-
planned the slight to his friend. Chief
of Police Biggy. and Biggy has prompt
~ remedied the delinquency.
The last occasion on which the pir-
vately police conducted excursion oc-
Cured was Thursday night. Not only
was the water front left Without the
protection OF the police boat for three
hours and five minutes, but a water
front police beat was left absolutely
uncovered for 4 hours and Is minutes
by the withdrawal of the policeman de-
tailed to it. The safety OF an East
street beat was neglected, but Police
Commissioner Keips dignity was prop
erly sustained.
MARTINI DETAILED
Policeman Martini, whose regular
beat is in East street, was the one de-
tailed to act as Keil's personal servant
Thursday night Through the regular
official channels he received an order
to report aboard the Patrol at $50
o'clock and accompany KeiI to his
home in Belvedere at the conclusion Of
the police commission meeting that
night Martini obeyed the order. Keil
remained at the police commission
meeting until adjournment shortly aft
er 10 O'clock. He arrived at the po-
lice wharf at i0:40 O'Clock and the Pa
troll Immediately cleared for Marin
county with Martini aboard.
1t was 1:45 o'clock Friday morning
when the Patrol returned to it's berth
Martini should have reported off his
beat at midnight, and was, therefore,
1 hour and As minutes late in doing SO,
and entitled to make this time up by
reporting on duty l hour and IS min
utes later than the regular time for his
next watch. Martini took ADVANTAGE
OF his privilege. Consequently his
beat in East street was uncovered for
the two hours and a half from $50
until midnight. Thursday night and
for another hour and 45 minutes Fri
day, or a total of 4 hours and Is min
utes. Martins services to the city
were lost for the same length of time,
his instructions having been to go
aboard the Patrol at $3.50 Thursday
night and there wait for Keil, and to
do nothing else. The time the boat
was absent was from 10:40 until 1:45
o'clock-S hours and minutes. Fig
ures are not available concerning con-
sumption Of fuel and Iubricating OIL
NOT FIRST OCCURRENCE
The occurrence was not the first of
It's KIND. For several weeks il has
been the regular custom of Chief Biggy
to detail either Martini or Policeman
Connors, whose beat is also in East
street. to go aboard the Patrol every
Thursday evening and escort Keil to
Belvedere. keil has so far seemed sat-
isfied with a single policeman and has
made no request for squad or platoon
Chief Biggy was asked yesterday af-
ternoon why it was necessary for a
policeman to accompany Commissioner
Keil in the patrol boat to Belvedere
every Thursday night. and he refused
at first to reply. When pressed for an
answer. he said, You have asked the
question and I have paid no attention
to it, Then he said, There is always
a policeman on the patrol boat, and
when the boat is in use that police
man must necessarily accompany it,
A further question as to whether it
was necessary to use the patrol boat
to take the commissioner to Belvedere
elected no reply from the chief.