Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-30
DONE in PHILADELPHIA

VLTHEN a small news item announced
w few days ago the death of the driver OF
the first police patrol wagon used In this city
I have no doubt that many who read the
report were rather astonshed to learn that
this adjunct to the Police Department mad
been introduced so long ago as 80 years An
other generation has grown up since that
time, and II cannot properly appreciate con-
ditions that existed here before this system
was introduced.
MAYOR WILLIAM b. SMITH, who did not
lNl dislike the title bestowed upon him of
"The dandy Mayor" responsible for
many reforms in the Police Department
When he came into office in 1SS4-this was
before the days of the present city charter
the Mayor did not have the authority which
the Bullitt bill has given him. 1t has been
said with more truth than romance that IN
those days the Mayor was little more than
the chief of police far as his authority
went.
Probably that is why Mayor Smith paid so
much attention to regenerating the force
There were only about 1900 policemen In 1884,
and the city had long outgrown so small
protective force. Even the small army or
police today is scarcely adequate. In 1884 the
present era of expansion in all directions in
the city was beginning and 1t became a
problem how to protect and patrol so large
an area with so small force.
NNE of the first things that Smith did
~ when he went into office was to reor-
ganze the police dress He had entirely new
uniforms designed, and part OF this new
equipment was the helmet, only retired for
the more military cap few years back. He
even went so far as to change the buttons on
the uniforms, which we're not of brass but OF
a white metal He introduced service stripes
on the sleeves of the men of the force to show
how long they had served. New badges were
designed, as well a more modern uniform
for the higher officers of the police.
For the first time a physician was attached
to the Police Department. Mayor Smith ap-
pointed the late Dr. Morris S. French police
surgeon, and the first work assigned to him
was the physical examination Of every man
in the department Lectures on first aid to
the injured followed, and Doctor French pre-
pared a little guide for the policeman EN-.
bodying the main points in these lectures.
All this reform, introduced 80 years ago, is
in line with modern practice. In cases of ac-
cident, or attempted suicide it is the police
man who is first called to the victim. In the
old days he did what he could but If he were
clumsy or had no genius in this line he was
worse than useless
Now all this was changed. He had at
tended lectures, and where he had failed to
understand he found some useful hints in
his little book that stood him in good stead
at a critical time. He also had been in
structed in bandaging; he had directions for
restoring persons apparently drowned, and
he carried n list of antdotes for the most
familiar poisons.
DUT even with all these improvements,
ID the fact remained when a patrolman was
taking a prisoner to a police station or an
injured person to a hospital his beat was
unprotected for an hour or even as much as
three hours More delay was caused by the
necessity of taking "drunks'' to the police
stations in whebarrows, when they were
too much under the influence to walk. To
reform a condition such as this was a real
work of civic betterment, and having
learned how successful the police patrol sys-
had worked in Chicago, Mayor Smith ad-
vised that the system be adopted here. Late
in the year the first patrol wagon was in-
stalled in the Third Police District, and its
first driver was Alexander Boyd. who died
few days ago.
The system included the telephone which
in 1884 was not in general use even In busi-
ness places in this city. Consequently the
police patrol system more than mere
reform; 1t was a radical change. The patrol
man went to a little box, telephoned to the
station for the wagon and remained at his
post The plan also provided a system ny
which the police reported every hour to show
they were attending to business.
TIME introduction of this system was as
l. good as hundred extra men on the force.
BY the end of Mayor Smiths term there
were eight patrol wagons in the city. There
was still need of many more, but he had
made a decided step toward efficiency
At first. when the wagons were a novelty,
the drivers believed they were expected to
respond as rapidly a fire engine. AS this
was found to wear out the horses unneces-
sarily, after the many runs in the course
of the day q moderate rate of speed was
ordered. The plan proved to be the best
adjunct to the police department up to that
time and with the introduction OF motor
wagons the efficiency has been again in
creased Although Mayor Smith i'm
peached, he did a good work, and there
still living persons who believe that he was
a dandy Mayor" GRANVILLE,
III. Ka;sar. Rad or