The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-11-20
THE CTrY sHoULD BE SAFE.

THE CITY 8k1OU1<O BE SAFE
Clean up the city, has been one
Of the slogans Of Mayor Cofran since
his assumption, OF office. That has
been the gist Of his instructions to
his chiefs Of police ana to his police
Judge. And It seems to have CON-
cerned. in the main. tho pursuit of
the festive bootlegger, the suppression
Of such dives and joints as have ex-
listed and spring up over night, and
the rounding up Of q variety Of petty
misdemeanants against the unusual
assortment Of city ordinances Of which
Topeka il possessed. This IL desira-
BILE and necessary police work. and all
good citizens are behind the mayor
and his police power In their activities
in this direction.
But 1t il essentially important that
a city be made safe for its people as
we'll as "clean;" safe particularly for
girls and women to walk the streets
unescorted when the occasions de-
mand. whether this be in the daytime
or after dark. And by no stretch Of
the imagination can 1t be asserted that
this condition prevails in Topeka now.
During the past few weeks a num-
Der Of women and girls have been the
victims Of purse snatchers and thugs
who have held them up. in one in
stance at the point OF a pistol, and
demanded money or valuables. All
such cases have not been reported to
the police, it Is true, but several Of
them have. And perhaps the reason
that all Of them have not been il be-
cause the police have failed to get
Then. too. the people are not nearly
an much concerned in the subsequent
arrest and punishment of holdup men
as they are in protection from them.
That's what the women of Topeka
need. They need a police protection
that will let the thug-minded know
that they cannot ply their trade with
IMMUNITY. And that is the kind Of
protection they haven't.
One reason for this may be that the
police department is not up to its
normal strength. Several policemen
have been discharged recently and
their places have not been filled. This
may be one way to cut down the city's
expenses, but 1t Is an economy Of the
false variety. And this is the very
worst season Of the year to reduce the
strength Of the police force. AZ win
ter approaches there IL always q scar
city Of work for the shiftless in any
city and the pinch OF poverty encour-
ages not few to desperate deeds.
Another reason may be that many
members of the police force are in
experienced policemen. They are
absolutely new to their work. It is
therefore unreasonable to expect them
to be able to spot suspicious charac-
tiers, or suspicious strangers in town.
In fact, even most of the natives, in
GLIDING those Of bad reputation, are
strangers to a few Of the new police
men. It IL a mistake to assume that
the competency of a police force can
be increased by the discharge Of ex-
perienced policemen and the substitu-
ton Of men who are utterly strange to
their duties. It takes more than
physical strength, q blue uniform with
brass buttons, and q club and a re-
volver to make a policeman.
Over and above all. though. the
police force Of Topeka has never been
commensurate with the size Of the
city. Its patrolmen have usually
numbered twenty-five to do the patrol
have fifty patrolmen at least.
That IL a ratio Of one patrolman for
each thousand Of Inhabitants, which
IL the usual ratio in ,this respect in
cities Of this size throughout the coun-
try. And some of the large cities
have q patrolman for every 500 In
habitants.
Under present conditions. and they
are even worse now than usual be-
is impossible that even considerable
portion OF the city can be patroled
properly. Besides too much of the
patroling energy Of the force is util-
lied in the business districts both
during the day and the night. A po-
liceman on patrol a few blocks from
Kansas avenue Is such q rare sight as
to cause residents to cape at him.
No wonder the thugs are plying
their trade at will in these sections.
holding up defenseless women on
their way home from work or even on
their way to church in the dark Of the
morning.
Topekans want q clean" city. But
they want a safe one more. When
are they going to get it?
HAS DISCOVERY ENDED?
With the finding of q vast stretch
Of land within the Arctic circle to the
north of Siberia comes the announce
ment that this marks the last great
discovery of new land, writes H. H.