Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-29
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2e, 1909.
RURAL POLICE BILL.
Important Measure Introduced BY
Representative McMahan.

| bill provides Tor the selection of q cOun-
ty police commission and provides that
the commission shall elect as rural
officers men of good morals and habits
who shall not be related to the men,
bers Of the commission. The act fur
ther provides for salary Of not less
, than $50 per month nor more than SIS
per month.
The bill is as follows:
That a county police commission is
| hereby estapnshed in each county In
the state, consisting Of the sheriH, as
| member eX-oIncio, who snail be cnair-
man of the commission, and four other
| niembers to be appointed by the gov
ernur upon the recommendation or the
| county delegation in the general as
semDIy, or majority thereof, for the
| term Of four years, vacancies to be
nlled in like manner, the said COM
mission to serve without compensa-
ZION: provided, however, that the hrst
| appointments in each county shall be
vf two members for two years and
| two members for four years.
That the said commission in each
county shall choose from the regis
| tered voters, not less than two and
not more than ten aole- bodied men Of
good moral habits and Of courage,
GOODNESS and discretion, known as men
who are never under the influence OF
alcoholic liquor or Of drugs, and are
not addicted to the Use thereof, and
shall commission them as county po-
| licemen for the term Of four years,
subject to removal by said commits
| sion at WILL and shall fix the compen-
sation and have direction and control
OF said policemen and Of all matters
connected with the system Of county
police, and shall at least once a month
meet with said policemen and confer
and advise with them and see that
| they are informed and alert as to their
duties and the enforcement Of law In
tne county, and said commission shall
annually report on the operation Of said
system to the clerk Of court, who shall
keep said report subject to public In
| spection and shall forward a copy
| thereof to the attorney general to be
| oy him used in connection with his an
nual report to the general assembly:
| Provided, however, tnat no policeman
shall be related by blood or marriage
within the sixth degree to any men,
Ger Of said commission.
That said policemen shall he paid
salaries Of not less than $50 and not
| more than SIS per month on the order
| Of the commission or the chairman
thereof upon the county treasurer and
shall be furnished each with a police
mans billet and with approved pistol
and carbine together with ammunition
as needed from time to time: Provid-
ed, however, that said policemen shall
provide themselves with uniforms to
be prescribed and approved by the
commission, and with horses for reg
ular use in riding over the county and
performing duty as mounted police,
and shall bear all the expenses Incl
| dent to their service.
That 1t shall be the duty Of said
mounted policemen, under the general
direction and control Of said commis-
sion, to patrol and police the county,
| especially In the rural districts, and
to prevent or detect and prosecute for
| violation Of the criminal law Of every
kind, making arrests upon their own
| initiative as well as upon complaint
or information, and to report all their
acts and all known or suspected Vio-
| lations Of the criminal law to the COM
mission through its chairman once
| week and at its meeting once a month,
or oftener If required and they shall at
each term Of the court Of general ses-
sions on a day appointed by the chair
man Of the commission appear before
the solicitor in his room, before the
Judge at his chambers and before the
grand jury, to be by each advised, in
structed and charged In respect to
| their duties and questioned in respect
| to conditions of lawlessness in the
county.
That said mounted policemen shall
patrol the entire county at least twice
week, by sections assigned to single
policemen for one or more days, re-
manning on duty at night when occa-
sions or circumstances suggest the
propriety thereof to prevent or detect
crime or to make an arrest and they
shall always be on duty not less than
10 hours q day, except when granted
occasional indulgence or leaves OF alb
sences by the chairman; they shall fire.
quent railroad depots, stores and other
public places where people congregate
or disorder is probable or Migrants
may be loafing or alcoholic liquors
may be sold or drunk and they shall
as often as practicable ride by homes
that are off from the public highway
and in lonely parts Of the county, eS-
pecially such as are without male pro-
tectors and they shall use every means
to prevent or detect and arrest and
prosecute for breaches Of the peace,
drunkenness, obscene or profane Ian
guage, boisterous conduct or discharge
of firearms on a public highway or at
|
weapons contrary to law, hunting or
otherwise trespassing on land without
the permission of the owner or mana
ger, gambling, vagrancy, carrying fire
on lands Of another setting out fire,
violation Of the fish and game laws,
cruelty to animals or to children or
violation Of the child labor laws, mis-
cegenation, lynching, and also any and
every other violation Of the criminal
laws.
That said policemen shall have au-
thority for any suspected freshly COM
mitted crime, whether upon view or
upon prompt information or complaint,
to arrest without warrant and to
search houses, and break therein,
whether in their own county or in an
adjoining county and they shall have
authority to summon the posse comi-
tatus to assist In enforcing the law,
any citizens who shall fail to re-
spond and render assistance when so
summoned shall be guilty Of misde-
meanor and upon conviction shall be
punished by imprisonment for 80 days
or fine Of 500.
THAT each of said policemen before
he Is commissioned shall enter into
bond, made payable to the county or
whoever may be aggrieved, to be ap-
proved by the commission and by the
clerk OF court, WITH WnoW tHe SdHle
shall be filed, with two good sureties
or an approved surety company, In
the sum Of 81 900 conditioned for the
faithful performance Of his duties and
for such damages as may be sus-
tanned by reason Of his malfeasance In
office or abuse Of the authority.
1T shall be the duty Of the said
commission and of the grand jury OF
each county to investigate promptly
any complaint made against any such
policeman fer neglect OF duty or for
misuse Of power.
That this act shall go into effect
in any county when the funds neces-
sary fer the maintenance Of said sys-
tenn shall be provided by the appro-
priation act"
cpaoial nj Tanuary % IN