Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-07
Special to 4he Bulletin. }

New London, Feb. 6This- city al-. though the smallest in area in the state Is classed by its residefIts aS one of the mot important. and surely among the best known outside the. state confnea This is due to the immense amount of the real effective. free advertising t has been givenf during the past decade. and made possible by the real progressive spirit connected with the Tale Harvard boat races. the location of the big state pier at this port, the establish ment of line of steamships th0 con version ofthe old railroad bridge oyer; the Thames river into a state high way, the talk Of establishing a biz dry dock, to say nothing of it's naval ant revenue department importance.
 Aside from these there has~been big growth Of industries. and the indica- ti0ns are that the city will continue to grow even more in importance if not in territory. In the next tenlvear period. This impetus was started when Bryan F. Mahan succeeded in giving New London a bright color on the map of the state of Connecticut.
 There seems te be desire to lead rather than follow any of the other cities, regardless of expense and there does not seem to be any great S Gisess it be the men who have little usortgsged homes, and these natur- ally afE crying for help that does not materiaiise. Now that the saloons are closed. the army of soldiers and sailors that rendezroused at New London has departed. and a fed4ic- ton of the police force expected, out force has been materially increased and now this little city has a police department of the platoon sys- ten. ii
 While the citv was almost over, crowded with transients and the sa- looms wide-open the little force lun- der the command of Captain Haven. and subsequently, under Captain Jef- fers, did such effective police work that every man on the fierce was praised by tiie people. barring the fesv who finally succeeded in depcsing these two experienced officers, u
 With tlie same +esritery to patrol, but with less need for police sarveii- lance a practically new and larger police force has been organized and the three platoon plan instituted, in making up these platoons, the police committee gave no consideration, to the men who have grown old on, the force, placed them on the same level with the new men. and assigned them
 to a line of duty that is not a'bso
 lutely necessary. Seniority does not count, but the new police committee is to impose semi military notions in the government and work of the force.
 And policemen look alike to the committee and in making the assign ments some of the older men on the force have been placed on beats that perhaps could be better covered by younger men, while the former could be more effective in another line of duty. In the days that are gone, for instance. when Tom iJeffers was q patrolman, he was assigned as day officer at the railway station, and while there was not only a bureau of information for the general public, but also made some of the most important arrests ever made in the history of the de- pertinent.
 Don't know how they do things over in New Haven nowadays, but the time was when a member of the po
 lice force of that city, Kennedy by name. was the day officer at the rail way station in that city. He knew almost everybody who traveied through or to that city and all knew him by name. There are many heads in New London today who would not think of leaving the station in that city to go into the business centre. without having a word with Mr. Ken nedy. He was the man sought when information was wanted about New Haven and Its people, or information