The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-27
MEMPHIS SUPERIOR ! POLICE PROTECTION Department Now Embraces
 Total of 1855 Men AREA MUCH SMALLER Birmingham Has 134 Men and Atten- ton Is Constantly Being Called
 to Inadequacy of the
 Local Force
AREA MUCH SMALLER
By ANGELS A. AGREE

Why is the police department or Mem- phis Tenn, so far superior to that of Birmingham? There is no disputing it even if a refutation of this statement were attempted. Is 1t because our chief of police is inefficient? No, because he has on occasion after occasion demon strated the fact that his ability as chief of police is above the ordinary. Is 1t be- cause of a lack of talent on the part of the officers? No, because they are. day after day, proving their worth by their work It can be safely said that as to the personnel of Birmingham's police force, 1t is not excelled anywhere in the south.
 Then why is it?
 It is simply because the police depart ment is hampered by lack of funds with which to work and this lack is rapidly de- teriorating the police department of the greatest city of the south into practically a nonentity.
 The police departments of both Mem phis and Birmingham are operated under the same forms of government-the com misison form. The population of the cities is about the same-Memphis 131, ,00C
  only 1885 people. The area of the cities is quite different but that argues all the worse for Birmingham. Memphis occu- pies 26 square miles, while Birmingham occupies D square miles.
 The police force of Memphis embraces a total of 1855 men, 143 of whom are patrol men. Birmingham has total of 13' men, only 1O2 of whom are patrolmen and a good portion of these are working 1T plain clothes. leaving only about 90 or 9' uniformed patrolmen working the city oi Greater Birmingham, which extends from East Lake to Wylam and from North Birmingham to the crest of Red noun tain.
 A traffic squad of II big stout imposing policemen is in vogue in Memphis, where as Birmingham has none. Each police man on the downtown beats acts as traf fic man for an hour or two each evening about dusk when traffic is greatest. Mem phis operates this squad exclusive of tn, regular patrolmen on the downtown beats.
 Memphis maintains mounted squad O IT men, who are trained equestrians They are taught the riding art by an cx cavalryman of the United States arm, and are proficient in all things which arr attendant upon them as mounted police men. Brmingham's only mounted mel work in the Woodawn precinct during thu evening and morning shifts.
 Invitation to Criminals
 In fact, the defects in the number O policemen in Birmingham is a most cor dial invitation for all the crooks of Amer lea to come here and operate. The cry | made in Birmingham: ''Stop so mucl crinie," and yet no move is made towar( adding to the police force.
 In Woodlawn, West End and North BiI mingham, precincts 3. and of the DO lice department, only three men ar worked from 7:30 in the morning unti s:3O in the afternoon. The sergeant il charge of each station is the only office on duty in each precinct during thos hours which mark the limits of the da. shift. Twenty men to be divided betweel Birmingham and Ensley work the tw latter precincts on the day shift. Tn other shifts are fairly well filled up il Birmingham, the morning shift beini the stronger.
 Two men each, besides the sergeants work Woodlawn, West End and Nortl Birmingham on the evening and mornini shifts, covering almost triple the territor. of any two policemen in the south.
 Is this manner of operating a police de partment in vogue in Memphis? No, tn