The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-11-08
One-Ihird Bank RObberies I
" Nation on Last Year We're
PerpefrQfed in Illinois

system that tries to apprehend him
Is not. The present system OF
dealing with criminals has no CO.
hesion. Each town and each coun-
y Is . separate unit. There 10 no
liaison. An escaping gang Of ban
dts can race in and out Of . coun-
ty while = sheriff lwho il Q civil
officer, anyhow is getting ready to
stop 1t.
Blame Local Police.
Thus 1t is that the inhabitants OF
q town or city are disposed to
blame their local police for a lack
OF vigilance as to some kinds of
crime, when the whole trouble Is
due to an antiQuated system. High
class crooks Of today use q fast
automobile. They. drive into .
town, rob store or a bank or grab
pay roll and are in their machine
and away before anyone but the
victim knows anything about 1t.
In this automobile day, pursuit is
impossible. The only sane method
is to head the gang OF. This is
what state police is for. The po-
lice are distributed and work out
from central stations the same as
in the big cities. These central sta
tons can get word to any trooper
/ in the state in about half an hour.
One cause Of Illinois constantly
mounting criminal statistics is the
ease OF the getaway Mayor Schri-
yer is right when he assumes that
the value OF a state police would
be not so much in the criminals it
would apprehend as the crimes it
would prevent. II crook knows
he is going to be caught, he does
not commit the crime
The good roads, as they are be-
ing extended through the state. are
already alarmingly in the casualty
and criminal statistics. Rules have
been made to apply to these high
ways, but there is no one to enforce
them. One would be surprised at
the amount of complaint one hears
in the towns along the Lincoln
highway. Nearly every owner o!
an automobile has tales to tell OF
i narrow escapes Reckless drivers
tear along that magnificent road at
the rate of so or 60 miles an hour
thus endangering the lives Of all
other automobilists. The roadside
"stick-up" Of automobile parties is
species Of crime that is happen
ing every day in all parts OF the
state, and there is no protection
A state police would not only en-.
force the rules of the road, but
would look after dangerous places
ana would be within call in case OF
accident
The coal fields of Illinois demand
a state police If production is te
continue. Anarchists and agent;
of Che l. W. W. are constantly a.
work instilling poison into the for
eignars employed in the mines, ant
the mines are wholly without pO
lice protection.
| Another element that has recently
~ entered into the police question
is the virtual going to pieces o
the national guard The time O
the reserve militia has expired ant
there are no enlistmen.s in thu
militia. Possibly this reluctance o
the boys to go into the state mi
litia may be partly due to the fac
that police duty is distasteful Il
} them. They are sent out to pre-
serve order in case OF strike, wher'
if a couple of trained state police
men had been called in in time
lawlessness would not have devel
, oped. II the anarchists and othe
lawless elements should attemp,
on a larger scale. a conspirac.
, such as they recently organized a
Springfield. where they intended t
wreck an, Illinois Central train an
: murder all the passengers as
protest against capitalism. tn
state would virtually have no de
: Tense.
Up in Many States.
A committee Of the American In
] stitute Of Criminal Law and Grim
! inology recently made a most il
= Illuminating and exhaustive stud
t Of the entire question Of state pc
lice and at its meeting at Indian
E apolis in Septt - er has the follow