The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-23

!
and equipment TO be purchased during
the year had been prepared before my
appointment" says Commissioner Woods.
However before the contracts were
awarded the schedules were carefully
examined. with the result that by clint
mating some items and reducing others
| the total amount OF the contracts was
reduced approximately 10000 or $4,000
under the original estimates. Careful
attention has been given to the type OF
I equipment purchased. As q result, IL
! has been possible 10 effect savings In
many cases, as, for instance, In the
matter OF police telephone booths. We
, are now purchasing these at 1920
whereas they formerly cost $3.50. We
shall purchase probably twenty OF these
booths during the next six months"
revised form OF requisitlon, covering
supplies used in the station houses. has
| been designed by Commissioner Woods.
| Il will make possible the elimination of
| the quarterly property returns and
| also the present Internal invoice sys-
! TEN. This change will materially re
duce the clerical work OF the precincts
| and also in the Central ONCE. AT the
! same time better control over the dis.
bursement OF supplies will be secured.
"A new method of keeping equip
ment records has also been planned. but
! the installation Of this has been de-
1 layed. pending completion OF the study
now being made by fhe bureau OF ex-
pert accountants OF the Finance De
partment."
! That the patrol OF the city IL not at
| all what 1t should be. and the reasons
therefore, are clearly set forth in the
report TO the Mayor. Commissioner
| Woods saws:
| The Police Commissioner IL bound
hand and foot as TO the hours OF patrol
| by mandatory legislation from Albany
and the schemes in effect as the result
of this legislation cannot give to the
| public the quality Of police patrol which
| II should have, since a patrolman is
on patrol duty for eight consecutive
| hours
There has been no scientific study
| made as 10 exactly what length OF post
"A patrolman can properly cover in the
| different districts Of the city. Com
PARSONS are made with other cities:
! but do not find that in any city care
| ful study has been made OF this. We
| are keeping now record OF crimes
| committed in the different precincts
which will show week by week how
successful the force Is I'm keeping down
and lessening crime; for this Is the
! object OF the patrol fOrce-to prevent
| crime"
The Commissioner calls attention to
! the fact that in the more congested
districts the posts are necessarily short.
and that It is OF great importance that
the citizen should be able to find a
policeman when he wants one. Rela-
tive to a fixed post plan. he SAYS:
f, Here lies the merit Of the fixed
| post: A citizen knows where 10 find
a policeman when he needs one. The
Weaknesses of the fixed post system
are: that II we spread policemen so
! thick In certain parts of the city we
J have to spread them too thin In other
parts: that the patrolling force is weak
cned: and that the man on fixed post
cannot be summoned by telephone
Experiments have been going On now
for some weeks in the Twenty third,
Twenty sixth and Twenty ninth pre-
I clncts. in the effort To devise system
Of patrol which would combine the good
points OF the fixed system and avoid
. the Weaknesses. on ten beats in the
Twenty third precinct special signal
. flNfN lliN' ''tl plt'fI va we 'i'NNi ~
light posts. and above them. clearly
visible over traffic. are green lights uf
such construction that they can be
seen by dav about as we'll as by night,
The patrol post is two blocks north and
south of these signal boxes. ANY citi-
zen who needs the services OF a police
man can run 10 the signal box and turn
On the light hy means Of a crank: the
patr.lma will see this light and re-
! spond Further, citizen can summon
! "A policeman nv calling up Police Head
quarters on tn" telephone and having
the message promptly transmitted to
! the station house and to the signal box
at the point nearest his home. Last
week Police Commissioner Woods
tested ITO new signal system at one OF
the mos important points in the pre-
cinCt. The longest time taken for any
palrolmap to answer the signal was
one and oneh half minutes, and this ma n
ran four blocks to the telephone box.
Each signal unit is wired on direct
circuit to the West Thirteth street sta
ton. and consists Of a powerful green
light showing four ways.
by this system of signals a police.
man will be even more available than
he Is in the fixed post system" says
| the Police commissioner, since ne can
be summoned not merely by going to
the place where he IL stationed but
also by telephone. He Is also free from
the great physical discomfort and at
times dangerous exposure OF standing
In one place; and the work that two
men have been required to perform
under the fixed post system can be done
by one man. In this way the oversup-
ply of policemen in certain parts OF the
city can he cut down without lessening
the efficiency of police service and a
more nearly adequate supply of patrol
men can be sent again to the districts
which need them SO badly"
trial system has been put into eff
feet In the Seventy ninth precinct, The
Bronx, which gives promise OF good re-
suits In carefully chosen parts OF the
precinct five booths are located in each
Of which "A patrolman on bicycle Is
on duty at all hours Of the day and
night Residents of the precinct can
summon that patrolman either by going
To the booth or by calling him on the
telephone The patrol Is done on
bicycle or motor cycle. so that ii Il
rapid and can be directed from booth
to booth or from signal box to signal
/ hnx hV the lieutenant in charge nf tho