The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-30
POLICE APARTMENT
 IS CUT ONE-TH|RD Leaves 104 Patrolmen for the
 Entire City THE CHIEF IS PUZZLED About 55 Men Will He Out of Jobs En- tireIy-Preference fin Service Is
 to Be Given the Older
 Men
THE CHIEF IS PUZZLED

At a special meeting of the police commission, held yesterday morning, Chief Bodeker was instructed to begin
 work on the plans for the reduction of
 the police department one-third, which. the retrenchment ordered by the finance
 committee of the City Council means. The chief was also instructed to pay special attention to the residence blind tigers and to look after houses of ill.,
 repute outside the restricted district. Chief Bodeker, Capt. Martin Eagan and Chief of Detectives Jack Mcdonald spent yesterday evening in conference as to what steps should be taken. The num-
 Der of men necessary to be dropped to
 meet the requirement of the finance com
 mittee and where the cuts should be
 made was determined upon, but the l names of those officers who will be
 dropped was not decided and it will prob
 ably be two days before the entire plan is smoothly arranged.
 | The required cut makes a tremendous difference in the police force of Greater Birmingham. From 1S0 patrolmen the
 number is reduced to 112 patrolmen, from which number eight will be selected as
 the blind tiger squad, leaving 104 officers actually on beats.
 The cut means that the police depart
 ment of the city will be reduced exactly
 one-third of its former strength. The four precincts have suffered as well as | the central precincts.
 The cuts in the outside precincts are as
 follows Woodlawn, formerly IS men, re- | duced s; North Birmingham. formerly | 12, reduced 5; West End, formerly Il, re- duced 4; Ensley, formerly 40, reduced H.. In addition to these cuts, about 20 men will be dropped in the central precinct. | The blind tiger squad will be reduced | from 1s men to men. The detective de- partment will lose one-third of it's strength | being reduced from IS to 12 men. | The apportionment of the different cuts was at a loss to determine the correct was at a uoss to determine the correct ratio of the reductions. The men dropped
 will be those recently added to the force | in nearly every case the older men be- | ing retained. The total cut will amount | to about 55 men.
 1T think that the police department has | been treated very unfairly in the mat ter of appropriations" said Chief of Po- lice George H. Bodeker last night in discussing the cut. "The department was cut about $56,000 a year, which leaves us with only 104 men actually on the | beats.
 ITO patrol a city of 15o,0OO it can readily | be seen that more men than these are
 needed. With the cut in effect it leaves | the residence portion of tn city prac- | tically without police protection. l do | not believe that the citizens will stand | for the cut when they realize the magni- | tude of 1t, and the condition in which 1t
 leaves the police department.
 l "It is not only not fair to the citizens | of the city to make such g. cut. but 1t
 is unjust to the men themselves that have just been put on. The order will mean that 55 men, who have just bought winter uniforms, numbers of which are not yet paid for will be thrown out of | a position and left with their goods to | be disposed of.
 l T regret very much to state that the | action taken in the matter of these of' | ficers will be final. It Is not a suspen- | sion, nor have I any intention of allow 1 ing the men to lay off iso many days. l This would be too confusing. Whether | the cut will be of long duration I am | unable to say, but if it is not will give | the old men preference.
 "There will be no change in the su- | perior officers nor in the hours in which | the men work. The desk sergeants in | the central precinct will be unchanged,
 the patrol chauffeurs will remain the | same, as will all the superior officers"