Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-29
JURISDICTION IS BIG
Sylvester Explains Compare
tive Cost of Police Force.
POPULATION is SCATTERED
Limits of City Not Analogous With
District Boundaries.
HIS MEN HARDER WORKED
And Besides. There Is Government
Property, Which Has Special
Service and Protection.
HIS MEN HARDER WORKED

Property, Which Has Special
Service and Protection.
In this territory, embracing by far
the largest police jurisdiction in the
United States, with more scattered
population and interests. the police force
il smaller for the purposes and accom-
plishes a more successful work.
This is Independent Of the fact that 1t
is the establishment on which the seat
of government must depend for protection
and the maintenance of peace and order"
This extract from his annual report is
pointed out by Maj. Sylvester. chief of
police in explanation Of statistics given
in the government census reports which
indicate that the per capita cost of con-
Quoting the police department of the Dis
trict of Columbia is greater than in other
cities.
Territory, and Not City.
The trouble is. says Maj. Sylvester. that
in most police comparisons those making
them lose sight of the fact that the cost
applies to the entire District of Column
bia and not merely to Washington city.
When the area is taken into considera-
ton. he says, it is found that the cost is
considerably less than most other cities.
= He said i'll his report:
Pertinent Comment in Report.
TT should not be forgotten that the
District is a territory and not city. 1t
cannot be consistently compared with the
various cities of the country in the num-
Der or working Of its police force.
But, if such comparison il to be at
tempted. from most reliable statistics
furnished Ivy the government 1t is found
that the arrests for all offenses made
Columbia were So, 41!. in Detroit II. 291, in
Milwaukee S271, in Buffalo 2S.62S. in
Cleveland 3O.41S, in Baltimore 34,o14 in
st. Louis S2,95s.
Minor Violations.
yet this extraordinary work on the
part of the District force is largely the
outgrowth Of the enforcement of the reg
ulations pertaining to minor violations,
such as the enforcement of the traffic re-
quirements. disorderly conduct and SIM
liar offenses. Arrests in cases Of felony
fall far below those of most of the large
cities.
lit is true that when the number of
policemen to every ten thousand inhab-
itants is taken into consideration the Dis
trict has greater number of men than
shown to have 125 patrolmen on beats to
every ten thousand people. st. Louis u.s.
Boston 15.9 Buffalo. 49, Cincinnati 10.1,
milwaukee, S.3 and the District IA. while
officers and patrolmen combined to each
ten thousand population in the Distr.c ct
number 10, in Milwaukee $50. Cincin-
natl 1871. Buffalo 26.7, Cleveland 23.1,
Pittsburg 33.S, Baltimore 500 and st.
Louis 39.1.
Protection Of Outskirts
From a police standpoint, however. as
we'll as from point of fairness, COM
parison should he had as to the number
of patrolmen ON beats and posts with
relation to the territory or area to be
patrolled. In the District of Columbia.
for Instance. the residents of the villages
and towns in the outskirts are subject to
The same laws and pay the same taxes as
do those who reside in the more congested
sections and they entitled to the same
police attention that is afforded where
the population is more dense.
1T has been admitted by those fully
advised and in authority that this COM
parison is just. Among other arguments
submitted IS the one that the citizen who
lives without the denser populated locat-
lily is less immune from robbery or as
sault than is the person who lives within
mailing distance of assistance at all times
i'll the more congested quarters.
I'm view of this standard. and making
comparison thereby, it is ascertalncd
that the District of Columbia has les
patrolmen on beats and posts, Milwau-
kee has 2O.6. Cincinnati, 1913; Detroit,
14.1. Buffalo, 1873; Cleveland, 1872:
Fittsburg. 25S; Baltimore. 50. and st.
Louis 80 patrolmen to each 1000 acres
of land supervised by the police, and
when comparison is made of policemen
on beats alone to each 1000 acres of
land area in the police jurisdiction st.
40: Detroit. 14.2; Cincinnati. 1916; Mil
waukee, 10, and the District Of Column
hia, III.
Comparison of Officers.
Comparing the number of officers ii
Is learned that the city of Baltimore
has . captains, II lieutenants and III
sergeants: Pittsburg has captains "a
Iieutenants and 81 sergeants; Buffalo
Las l.; captains and S4 sergeants, De-
troit has II captains. 81 lieutenants and
I. serge:lnts; Cincinnati has 81 lieuten
ants and 80 sergeants. and the District
of Columbia has 10 captains, L. lieu
tenants and ~ serSeants and in the
matter of details is below the proper
ton Of large cities.
When il comes To a comparison Of
bomicides it i shown that the District
of Columbia is far below any city In
the country. with the exception OF Mil
waukee and Detroit. Yet the number
OF cases Of arrests for disorderly con-
duct in the District of Columbia ex-
ceeded that OF the principal cities hav-
ing a like-sized population"
Motor Accidents Increase.
The record OF the year contained in
Maj. Sylvesters report show that there
were fewer accidents than during the
precsd ding year. excepting those In which
motor vehicles were Involved. The total
number of accidents is given LISA last
year as against 2G95 in 1908. a decrease
III 3il
The number of accidents in which mo-
TOR vehicles were involved is given as
Ia in 1900 against Isl the preceding
year Two deaths from such accidents
.a.curred during the naSt fiscal year and