Evening journal., 1912-07-06
SATURDAY. JULY 8. 1912
rNn TORTURE OF POLICEMEN.

- r - ,n a,,, ~ the Police Commissioners Of VII
Nmnvton 10 provide lightweight uniforms 10 be
worn by our policemen in summer. II IS not tar 70
~. men IN compel them 10 wear such weather as
this the heavy uniforms they wear in spring tah ano
winter They are entitled TO better treatment tnan
that Immediate steps should hs taken to EQUIP them
oth suitable clothes and regard them as men ratnsr
han as inaninnate cogs in the municipal machine
the Legislature should enact law, or City Couneii
should pass an ordinance directing tae Ponce Com
missioners to in summer, clothes OF the cut
ana weight which the policemen wear by virtue OF
regulations established by these Police Commission
ers there would be howl that would be heard from
c,tv line to city line And yet these policemen OF
ours are men the same az our Police Commission
ers They are Just sensitive TO heat ana cola ana
TO good treatment and bad treatment II is ridiculous
TO compel policeman to wear winter-weisht coat
buttoned up to the neck when the mercury Is hover
ing around the hundred mark and humanity is using
the lighes Of fabrics effort to escape torture
from heat
There is no practical reason why our policemen
should be subjected 70 such torture each summer II
may be said that the lighter weight clothes viii not
bear the rack Of service such as is performed BY
the policemen That might be true If an ofhcer were
engaged every hour two in struggle with drunken
or ouarresome men but such condition as that ex-
lists here The expenditure Of few dollars year
would meet such an objection. Too many per-
sens forget that policeman is merely man like
other men Seeing him clothed uniform as a re-
resentatve OF law and order too apt to accord
10 him attributes possessed by the ordinary man
IN the street That is wrong. The policeman on beat
in our city would feel the heat Just much as any
other citizen we're clothed garments suitable for
sumner wear When however. result Of foolish
regulations he is compelled 10 tread his beat in a
uniform better suited 20 December or January than
to July or August the suffering he endures should ap-
peal 10 the heart of any right thinking citizen
There was a time when the same foolish regulation
which now applies 20 our policemen also applied TO
our lettsr-carriers When it proposed that straw
hats and uniform bouses should replace the heavy
headeear and coats there were those who did not
hesitate 20 say that such an innovation would destroy
the effectiveness and discipline of the lettercarryinS
force Dsregarding all such foolish objections, the
Federal Government made the changes proposed The
result is that thousands OF lettercarriers walk
the streets in comparative comfort whereas formerly
they walked them the victims Of heat and foolish
governmental regulation.
What true Of the lstteroarriers is equally true OF
cur policemen No time should be lost in relieving
them Of the unnecessary torture which they suf
fer The Board Of Police Commissioners should take
up this matter at and spend whatever money is
needed TO effect this change not matter how
light the coats NAV be long as they uniform
The chief thing to make the change quickly as
sumner is here and the policemen clearly entitled
- relief