New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-04
'BARES WEAK POLICE
ARM TO ENGINEERS
Bruere Censures Past
Methods in Dealing
with Crime Here.
BLAMES MILITARISM'
FOR LIMITED WORK
Mitchell Lauds Aqueduct Work
and Carnegie Talks on New
Worlds" at Meeting.

The discussion and papers at the
sessions of the thirty-fifth annual
meeting OF the American Society OF
Mechanical Engineers yesterday were
on the subject of public service
Mayor Mitchell opened the morning
session and Andrew Carnegie and John
Albert Brashear, president-elect of the
society, gave informal talks. Henry
Bruere, City Chamberlain, read a
paper on "The Future of the Police
Arm from the Engineering Stand
point" which attracted considerable
attention.
Mayor Mitchell commented upon the
number of engineers in the public ser.
vice, and said their work was the
wcEder of the ages. He spoke of the
Catskill Aqueduct, comparing il TO the
Panama Canal as an engineering
achievement. Mr.. Carnegie referred
Lrlehy TO astronomical subjects and
told his hearers that l76 new worlds
had been discovered recently by the
astronomers and the count hadn't
stopped yet.
Mr.. Brashear told Of a book on
had elaborated upon. and said II
would soon be ready for publication.
There would be no charge for the
book, he said.
City Chamberlain Bruere severely
criticised past police methods and ad-
mlnistration, but asserted that needed
reforms were already in process OF
realization under the present admin
istration. His criticism was directed
Iarticularly at the lack of any system
OF erfon.fEr ys,o.hll.. a..
vention of crime on the part of the
Police Department
"Police work has heretofore, in the
main, beer directed to repairing the
wear and tear of social friction, in
stead of obviating the causes of fric-
ton" he said. Exceptions are de-
York City under the leadership of the
er, Arthur Woods, but, in the main,
present and past police work has con-
cerned itself, not with causes. but
merely with effects. Now, it is to
bring about a change in the emphasis
ard technique of police administration
that | suggest the application of what
| describe as the engineering method
Of all phases of police work"
Points to Police Faults.
Mr.. Bruere justified his discussion
of the problems of police administra-
ton at a meeting of mechanical engl-
neers by explaining that, scientifically,
the most neglected field Of public SER
vice in America was the police depart
ment. There was no part of munich
pal administration, not in itself IN the
engineering category, that more ur-
gently needed the aid of the engineer
ing method than the "pOlice arm" lie
defined the engineering method, as he
understood it, as consisting of the APP
plication of scientifically determined
knowledge TO the execution of par
ticular problem, and the use Of or
dered and analysed facts as the basis
fof formulating conclusions in respect
Of that problem.
"As a result Of the repeated appli-
cation of the engineering method to
like or similar problems" he said, "a
technique is established for achieving
particular object repeatedly, with
least waste of energy and resource.
Referring to "the obligation Of New
York City's Police Department to an
engineer" Mr.. Bruere said:
ITO a large extent the beginning Of
systematic methods in handling the
business Of the Police Department and
the beginning of the end of the pro-
verbal confusion prevailing in the
management Of the New York police
force took place when the department
was in the hands Of an engineer, Cen
eral Theodore A. Bingham.
81 have had opportunity to study
half a dozen large police departments
in America. The one common ideal of
police service that has been developed
i'm American cities is that the police
must be physically well conditioned
and personally honest That Is about
as far as any city has gone, with the
possible exception of Toledo, under
the rule of Brand Whitlock, and New
York City to-day under the admins
tration of Mr.. Mitchell and Mr.. Woods.
With regard to crimes, police depart
ments are opportunistic, and generally
they are not concerned with the kind
of crime committed, but only with the
number of complaints received. with
regard 20 vice. especially with respect
to prostitution. they are chiefly con-
cerned with outward appearances.
"Police work has been defensive, re-