The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-11

considered the time ripe for the use Of
the motor vehicle not only for cities but
for ambulance and patrol wagon service
| in rural communities. He stated that dur
! ing 1909 in Baltimore his wagons made a.
| ia runs for arrests responded to 220S am
| bulance calls, removed 170S sick persons to
| hospitals.
| The chief described the time when, 43
| years ago, he was serving on the force as
| patrolman and had to literally drag the
| prisoner to the station, with matter of
muscle motor power and physical endur-
ance between the man and the police
man.
Only a year ago did Baltimore secure
its first motor patrol, and now 1t has
four, with a special car for the assistant
marshal vino visits every station in the
city once each day.
Chief Farnan closed his address with
| these words:
Fellow members of the National AS
ISOLATION of Police Chiefs, we are living
in a very progressive age. There is no
such thing as standing still. If we halt
in our progressive march 1t means that
we will go backward. We must utilize
every modern invention and facility for
assisting us in the work we are sworn
to do 1t may be the day dreams of one
who has grown gray in the police service,
but feel that / can almost dip into the
future and see still more improved ap-
planes than the motor vehicles being
used by the police departments Of the
world. 1t does not seem at all improb=
able that in the years to come, and per-
haps not so far away. the perfection of
machines that fly through the air will
make them applicable to police service. Be
that as it may, and let the genius of our
inventors assist us In our work to any
extent that we may apply 1t, the motor
propelled vehicle Of today is unqualifiedly
convenience and a practicable assist
anee to our own, and to any police de-
partment."
Describes Detroit Organization
Chief John j. Downey of Detroit read a
paper on 1.-The System of Operating a
Metropolitan Police Force a technical
paper. which was given close attention by
| the chiefs Detroit has the most perfectly
| organized force in the country, and it is
the ambition of many departments to
reach its efficiency.
| He took up consecutively the divisions
which go to make up a total of 500 men,
| which look after the welfare of 100000
people, including the detective bureau,
central division. truant squad. seaier OF
weights and measures, law department,
signal service. harbor master, traffic
squad. cycle squad, mounted squad and
| pa olHcH loI pOot outys
The truant squad was a particular feat
ure. "Ten officers compose this detail,
each having a territory to cover, there
being go public schools in the city. The
principal of each school notifies the truant
| officer of all absentees. The officer visits
| the home to learn the cause, then the
trouble begins. The mother may argue
| we are poor, husband Is sick, my boy
must work or we starve.' The boys work
is often prowling through alleys picking
up anything they can find. They learn
| the art of thieving and grow UP to be
burglars and professional thieves. The
majority Of our house breakings are COM
mitted by boys in their teens"
He also told of the bicycle squads,
which he says are capable of covering 10
times as much ground more efficiently
than the man on foot. He was satisfied
that one trained mounted man can do as
much as 10 footmen where large crowds
| are massed for an unlawful demonstra-
ton. En3
| Tribute to the '"COp"
He closed with a remarkable tribute
to the cop"
THE patrolman Is, in sense. the
Waterman of our homes and lives.
They are assigned posts or what the
police term beats, which cover the
whole settled portion of the city. When
you consider the force of $50 night
| patrolmen covering an area of 40
square miles just imagine the length
of each post and it is a wonder h ow
1t is accomplished ana the good re-
suits therefrom. .sss 81.
Think of the number Of fires dis
covered by the patrolman on his rounds
at the dead of night; the rescue of
| families from the flames where he Of
ten faces danger, in fact, risking his
own life; the noble rescues Of tn .
cop They receive commentator from
the press but are soon forg )tten. At
midnight you will hear the Officers
measured tpad as he passes your door.
alert to every sound that might Ge-
quire his seryices Think OF him as