The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-15
ADDS THIRTY men
TO POLICE FORCE
Finance Committee Approves
Ordinance for City's
Protection.
BEATS ARE NOW TOO LARGE
Chiei Werner Shows Impossibil,
lily OF Covering City With
Present Force.

Thirty additional policemen Will be
added TO the lichmond department ON
~ about March /, the Council Com
mi,,ee on Finance having agreed to
recommend tho ordinance increasing
!he force 10 that extent. II has al
ready the approval Of the Committee
pn Ordinance. Charter and reform
and its passage by the City Council at
The February meetings OF the TWO
branches Is assured. Members OF the
i:onrd OF Police Commissioners and
Chief of Police werner appeared be-
fore the Finance COMMITTEES Friday
night, urging that the force be made
adequate TO cover the territory. The
FINANCE Committee took the matter up
later. In executive session, and yestcr-
day Chairman Pollard notified members
OF the Police Board that their request
had been approved and recommended
to the Council iur adoption.
Present Force Inndcuuutc
Police Commissioners Thomas and
Manning Went into the matter in some
detail before the Finance COMMITTEES
cNp!aining THAT at present the entire
force of officers and mcn numbers 1872,
the ordinances calling for l35 officers
and men, while seven men were added
under the annexation act. when the
city of -.anchester became n part OF
3
Is divided az follows: Chief clerk or
chief. detective captain, tive detective
serScants. probation officer. two signal
operators. and Police Court cricr. as
signed at headquarters; aud two police
stations, each with captain. three
desk scrgcants four street sergeants.
thirty three patrolmcn, i've mounted
men and eight bicycle men. Washing
ton Ward has at present one captain.
five
that Is held to be totally inadequate to
cover that territory day or night
Bcnts Too Large.
In presenting his case. uhicf Werner
, CARED attention to some of the large
"eats' ono man being assigned to All
or inc city from Twenty first Street
10 Thirty fourth Street, north Of
iiroad Street; another having all Of
'he section from Pine street to First
south OF Broad. Several OF the beats
were SHOWN to cover an area which il
would be almos, Impossible for ono
man 10 get over during the time on
outF' while large part Of tho city IL
practically unprotected at night.
Members Of the Finance Committee
saio that they were opposcd 10 any In
crease II II merely meant tho addition
on more officers and shorter hours for
INC men, without really swing anv
Was that there were fewer officers On
INC force nov than ten year; ago. tho
hoard having abolished one station
mouse cutting out captain and three
desk sorEean,i. and rcarrangcd the ais
tricts. II was the City Council. with
out the approval Of tho Police Board.
"hich raised the pay of al detectives
10 the grade OF scrgcantS, made the
probation officer sergeant. with n
serscants pay. and ASSIGNED certain
men TO special duty.
Need Men an Southsidc
Members Of the board sud that no
change in the hours OF thc men was
contemplated save in Washington
Ward. where the men now work twelve
hours instead of nine. rs in the Old
city. The only additional officer will
be ono additional scrgean, IN South
richmond. by extending the patrol
box system into South iiclinond. it
Is believed that a system can be ar
ranged so that all officers on beats
south Of the river at night report Ill
rectly 10 headquarters. and thus save
the expense OF keeping Il station house
and desk sergeant on at night on the
Southside.