Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1916-07-27
The Mayor Submits
Recommendations for
Improved Servic e
Mayor Suggests That an Improve
ment in Police Service be Made
Committee to Consider.

At the last meeting of the council
Mayor A. T. Hopkins submitted some
written suggestions concerning the
police force in the city.
BY unanimous vote the mayor was
named as the chairman of a commit
tee, the other two to be appointed by
him, to Investigate further and report
at subsequent meeting. The mayor.
named Aldermen Cornwall and Han
ten as such other members. The
following is the mayors written re-
port:
Gentlemen.
In making this report i trust you
will pardon me if briefly refer To-
the past history of our city. Ten
years ago our city had a population
OF about five thousand Today we
have about ten thousand. 1t is safe
to say that there are as many people
get on and off the train at the North
Western depot each day as there
were that came to- and left the city
on all of the railroads then. Eight
years ago we had police force con-
sisting of chief and four patrolmen
and traffic officer.
In the past ten years the automo-
bile and motorcycle have come into
very common use, and like every
thing else that is new, bring cares
and perplexities peculiar to them
selves, among which are "speedo-
mania" and automobile Manners
1t is also we'll known that the Grim.
inal and undesirable element have a
marked tendency to gravitate to the
larger centers of population.
In my observation / have been truly
amazed at the amount of business
that passes before our police depart
me ment. Among the things that come
up afa investigation of cases of lar
8ceny and things incidental thereto
For instance, the other day one Of
the force observed fellow with two
coats, and investigated and found
one of the coats was not his but be-
longed to some one else and had a
Lot of valuable papers in a wallet.
but nothing to really indicate who it
belonged to, therefore, it will take
large amount of investigation to find
the owner, unless he happens to come
in, which he has not yet done.
Further, rooms and places that.
have been reported to the police as
requiring Investigating. The night
patrolmen cannot safely leave their
beats, therefore this work deyplves
upon the chief and the day men, and
to my knowledge they have, been out
night after night until 12, 1, q and
as late at 3 O'Clock in the morning
looking up these things.
Investigation of parties reported on
by officers from other towns, whicHI
must be attended to as exchange oil
courtesy. Reports as to stolen prop
erty, messages as to lost relatives.
runaway boys, and things OF that
kind.
Then there is vast amount Of
small matters, referring to chickens.
dogs, horses, cattle, garbage, women
whose husbands do not support them.
All OF these are small in themselves,
but must be attended to with tact
and require time.
Then there is another element that
want to make the city their head
quarters and go outside to the small
er towns to conduct their unlawful
business, and make trouble, and gen.
orally get US in bad with our neigh
bors, and these take some time. !
It has been a source Of great NOR
-ification to me and also the policeI
iorce to be compelled to drag drunk
en- men down to the police station
through the open streets. Often &
ines they have been in fights, etc,
before the call for the police comes
n and we find them covered with;
blood, dirt, etc. and in generally
'ery unsightly condition There haveI,
,een @ one hundred arrests since thel,
irst Of May and as many more de- Fl
entions 50 you can readily see that
hese things come pretty often.
There are great many calls re- .
Iuiring prompt attention, and as the
ituation is at present the chief has
9 leave the station locked while he ,
away Some time Or other. while.I ,
ne chief fs necessarily absent from {
ne station and no one there, fearl
hat some tragedy may take platel
which could have been prevented il