South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-28
Work Of the Police
for City's Health
Patrolman, by lnstructing Old
and New Residents of Pre-
cinct on Hygiene, Will I'm
consciously Improve Com
munity'S Good Order.
BY Woods Hutchinson VI. ID.


ant and encouraging as they are on
/ general principles For several
/ reasons some OF which are obvious
enough. while others would hardly
/ be suspected. First and foremost.
1 because the drift OF the whole new
policeman movement means the
placing Of police administration and
\ the handling OF criminals. delin-
quents and dependents upon a sci
/ entifc. yes. largely a medical basis.
\ The public is no longer 10 be dubbed
first and explained TO afterwards, 10
| be kept In strict order by sheer force
Of arms, but TO be advised, assisted,
yes, instructed. how TO keep itself
/ in good order legally. socially, hy-
/ CHEMICALLY. The offender is 10 be
/ treated not so much as a criminal.
/ but as a patient; not as an enemy.
| but as a ward Of society. 10 be cured.
corrected, Strengthened up first if
possible, and then punished after
ward. if cessary-which il usu-
ally isn't
Science and humanity are 10 take
the place of law and original sin"
in dealing with the delinquent in
future. Criminology. in fact, is 10
| be made a branch of medicine. and
preventive medicine at that. and we
may even hope that one day doctors
and efficiency engineers and great
/ business administrators, human be-
! ings that know they are alive, will
/ sit on the bench instead Of judges
and lawyers, whose sincerest ambi-
| ton is to preserve and be faithful
/ TO the wisdom of the dark ages.
Valuable to Community.
The next hygienic and medical
bearing of the new police regime is
] that its leaders have frankly recog-
nized that anti-social behavior and
| breaking of the law are closely as
ISOLATED with. if not actually due
| TO. poverty and squalOr and dirt.
! These again are closely and insep-
arabIy tied up with disease, the con-
/ sequence of the disease that was, the
cause of the disease that is and will
! be. so that their very first step has
| been 10 enlist in the war against dis
/ ease and to enter into active work
ing partnership with the health de
/ partment. And the value of this
cordial and intelligent cooperation
to the health of the community can
| hardly be Overestimated.
The policeman, of course, has al
ways played an important if some
what reluctant part in health ad-
ministration, as a stern threatener
and infiicter of the terrors of the law
when the health ordinances have
I been violated. But this is quite diff
/ ferent The new policeman first
/ familiarizes himself with the main
/ outlines and more important prin-
/ ciples of the health ordinances. In
! New York city, for instance, a spe-
/ cial outline and digest of these laws
/ has been prepared by the health de-
partment for the use of police Of
/ ticers. Then he keeps a watchful
/ lookout as he goes about for viola
/ tiOns of the ordinances not for the
! purpose of running in the offend
ers. or even threatening them with
I the pains and penalties of the law.
I bat simply for the purpose of eX-
planning TO them what the require
ments of the law are why they are
/ necessary for the protection or the
public health and comfort. and OF
\
/ future. taking il for granted that
| their failure 10 observe was due 10
\ ignorance OF the law. OF course.
/ if after this interview he finds the
I offense is repeated he resorts TO
sterner methods. but this is not
! found necessary more than once in
/ 10 times.
IL is even hoped i'm the near flu
/ ture. when the three or four patrol
men in each precinct among them
| know. or know something about.
| every family i'm their charge. so as
! to know just what ones need watch
/ ing. who need an occasional warn
+ ing. and who are of the overwhelm-
/ ing majority that can be abundantly
trusted 20 take care OF themselves.
I that it will be part of the duty Of
the policeman 20 make a friendly
/ official call upon every new family
moving into the precinct To give
them the address both of the station
house and of the nearest Office OF
the health department. OF the local
hospital and dispensary. and if
there be young children i'm the fam
lily. OF the school and the milk sta
ton To present them with a copy
of the local health laws and any
police ordinances which may be spe-
cial or peculiar 10 the neighbOr-
hood. and TO offer them any infor-
nation which they may wish in re-
gard TO their new home and its Gus
toms and requirements and 10 make
them feel generally at home i'm the
precinct This Will DE particularly
helpful in the case of newly ar
rived families from the country un-
accustomed 20 city living condi-
tions and their sanitary compiled
tons, and also 20 recent immigrants.
Ina the latter case the policeman
would be accompanied by an in
terpreter preferably also d member
OF the force i'm some capacity. who
would explain the situation 90 the
newcomers and le- them understand
fhat both the police station and the
ucal health office were anxious 20
.e their friends and would be glad
to give them any information in
their power about laws. school mat
tiers hospitals or possibilities Of en-
plOyment and social opportunities.
Nx~rU