The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-05-18

rious railroads before the roads
passed under Government control.
When the police took charge, the
! police units OF the various roads
| were grouped under thirty ranks
| and titles.
The classifica ton has now been re-
duced TO FIVE ranks-chief of police.
inspector. lieutenant sergeant and
patrolman.
Salaries Are Good.
Attractive salaries have brought
many good men into this service. The
salaries of chiefs range from $500
to $4,000 A year.
There is a chief of police for each
of the IA roads under Federal con-
troll.
There is an inspector in charge OF
he sixteen precincts or districts. He
is a special representative of Chief
Flynn. He is also in direct and con-
slant communication with the re-
gional director OF railroads in his dis
trict.
Has the new police force been on
the Job?
Heres are some figures which speak
for themselves:
Between April l. 1918. and March
%
made for freight robberies alone.
A surprising fact is that more than
5000 of them were railroad employees.
During that period more than 10000
were convicted. the total penitentiary
sentences amounting to 3.271 years.
The courts committed 1854 to Jail
or reformatories, and 2,433 cases were
dismissed. suspended or paroIed.
Property stolen by these offenders
amounted to 32,170, 900. OF this
amount S1,75O,0OO worth OF the prop
erty was recovered. This was far in
excess of any previous experience of
the railroads.
Active In April.
Chief Flynn has received reports
during the past week from eighty
two railroads SHOWING their activi-
ties during the month OF April of
this year
There were 946 arrests during that
month, and OF this number 32S were
employees Of those lines.
Most of those arrested in April
have already been tried There
have been sos convictions. Sentences
aggregated 156 years in the peni-
Tertiary and 1913 years in Jail OF in
reforma tories.
The amount OF property stolen by
those arrested was $40, 900. OF this
amount $32 900 worth OF the prop
ertv has been recovered.
Fines assessed for the month OF
April aggregated about $4,000.
We are glad TO see a falling of
in the number of employees convicted
Of stealing from their roads" says
Chief Flynn. "Of course. we do in
tend TO reduce II to minimum
Whlskey Thieves Busy.
Whiskey thieves, have been giving
the railroads operating in dry"
States considerable trouble, and many
persons have had temptations offer
ed them who otherwise would not
have gotten into trouble.
I'm dry States" Chief Flynn eX-
plains, "the whiskey thief will break
open a parcel if he believes il con
tains whiskey. When he sees il does
not, he casts 1t aside and moves on.
not moIesting the articles it does con-
tain.
Along comes a member OF the
train crew or possibly an outsider.
He sees that the package had already
been opened and thinks TO himself.
Well. some OF this stuff has already
been stolen; I'll iuts take bit Of
what Is left.
Scores or. men have yielded 70
temptation or this kind. Some we
have caught, others have got away
with it,"
or recent months thieves have been
directing their attention TO the theft
OF penny mileage books. Numerous
cases of this kind have been handled |
by the department The mileage is
a lmost the same as cash. 1t can be |
used anywhere and is easily disposed !
Of through a fence
Freight Thieves Clever.
Chief Flynn finds that freight ear /!
thieves are the most crafty and cum
uinc g al criminals
eve havs increased the hazards of 8
this class 50 that We hope To cut dow ,
the annual loss by millions Chief /
Flvnn SAWS Already there Is a !
decrease IN che number Of /
cases against employees. They are ,
daily becoming more wary OF our new /
department
I'VE are working hard to impress |
on the railroad employe that ne !
should protect the company's prop |
erty. not steal it.
"In some cases the employe has !
worked hand-in-hand with the pro-
Cessional freight ear thieves"