Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-07
CIVIL SERVICE
POLICE BOARD
Is ORGANIZED
DR.. Bowman Is President;
Chamber of Commerce
Offers Cooperation

Harrisburg's Civil Service Board
for the examination of officers for
the city police force was completed
yesterday afternoon at a meeting
in the City Council Chamber.
DR.. Thomas e. Bowman was electy
Clerk R. Ross Seaman, secretary.
Another meeting will be held next
Another meeting will be held next
Wednesday afternoon at $50 o'clock
when rules will be presented for
discussion.
At the meeting yesterday a letter
was received from the Chamber of
Commerce signed by President
David E. Tracy and Secretary z. L.
McColgin, offering cooperation in
any thing the board may undertake
to give the city a first-class police
force.
The letter follows:
To the Honorable, the Civil Serv-
! Ice Commissioner for the Harris
purg Police Department, Harrisburg
Pennsylvania:
"Gentlemen-In connection with
your appointment to administer thd
third-class city civil service policd
act in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, wd
are writing to advise you of the keen
| interest of the Chamber of Conn
| merce in the work of your Board and
| our desire to cooperate in any
movement that will tend to give the
| city of Harrisburg a first-class and
modern police department.
Several months ago we brought
to Harrisburg a staff of authoritie:
on police from the New York Bureal
of Municipal Research, and had q
thorough survey of our Police De,
| partment made. A copy of this sur
Vey and the recommendation of the
New York Bureau of Municipal Re
search have been placed in the hand;
| of the Mayor and is thus availabl,
| to you in your work. We wish I'd
commend this survey and its Suggest
| tions to you for your careful attenI
| ton. because it embodies the thought
| of probably the best police taleni
available in the United States.
''Mr. Clement J. Driscoll, the New
| York Bureau of Municipal Research
authority who made our survey, bas|
| ed the hope for Harrisburg obtaining
high-class police department upoI
, the passage of civil service law and
the careful administration of suc1
| law.
THE worth of the recommended
tions of the New York Bureau o|
! Municipal Research and their abil|
| ity to make suggestions about ciVi
| service administration of police del
| partments and kindred matters, ca
be judged by the fact that they havl
been retained for this owrk by polic|
department in Pittsburgh and Phila|
| delphia in this state, such typical cit|
les outside of Pennsylvania as Syra|
| cuse, n. Y; Columbus. Ohio; DaytorI
Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Denver|
Colorado; Can Francisco, Cal, AMI
| others.
"Our civic committee will be glaI
to give any possible assistance Il
your board, and If you desire to hav|
a personal conference with Mr.. Dris|
| coll regarding the survey and thI
recommendations he made for til
Harrisburg Police Department undeI
! civil service, we shall be pleased Il
cooperate with you. FL
| "The Chamber of Commerce speTi
a very large sum of money in havinI
| the survey of the Police Department
made by authorities, and our menl|
| bers and the press and the citizen|
| generally have expressed themselvd
as being keenly interested in seein|
! it's recommendation put into effect.I
I'D. E. TRACY,
President.
"E. C. M'COLGIN,
Secretary"