Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-05
IqO MORE POLICE
| |URCEDBYPR0BERS
Mavor's Commission Submits
Report Of Crime Inquiry
to Council
|iBMoRED CARS SUGGESTED

The nolice are cxoneratcd Of all
hlsme in recent hold-ups in this city
bv the Mayors Special Police Commits
lion appointed 10 investigate. Further,
hs commission recommends the ap-
pointment Of 1900 new patrolmen and
k,rses that each police district be
.ouipped with a high powered motorcar
kor the pursuit of bandits and the patrol
n the streets Of the district Mt night.
The cases coming Immediately under
,he probe Of the commission were the
hold.up of the restaurant of William
George recently. at III North Broad
street, and the robbery of the Robert Z.
|NIoorhouse firm at Bridge and Thomp-
.son streets, Frankford. -.
Serving upon the commission were
Assistant Director of Public Safety
Tempest, Major Norman Macleod,
Emil Albrecht, president of the Bourse,
and Police Captain Andrew Jolly.
Witnesses Examined
The commission, in its renort. hand.
I'd to Mayor Moore today. announced
| that the members had questioned, among
cthers. the persons concctned in the
hcld.ups and LicutchenC Thomas
Walsh, Of the Tenth and Bu,torwood
streets station also Lieutenant Andrew
/ Hamilton, of the Belgrade and Clear
field streets stntion.
The report. which covers twenty
pages, was submitted to Council by the
Mayor. 1t follows:
"A perusal Of the attached reports
will show that the evidence produced
t before the commission fails to show any
negligence upon the part of the police
/ Of either the Twenty fourth or Eighth
district. Everything possible was done
| in connection with both affairs and IL
was lack of equipment which probably
prevented the apprehension Of the per-
petrators. particularly in the Moor
house affair. where the highwaymen
were equipped with a high powered
IWinton Six car, able to make fiftv
or sixty miles an hour, while the police
| were In patrol wagon. which was un :
able to make more than twenty miles an
| hour.
I'm the George case the police were
lon the scene within very few min
n
|watchman, with n commission from the
|City of Philadelphia, who failed to take
|any action to prevent either the rob.
|bery or the escape of the thieves. and
after hearing the testimony of witnesses
land his own statement he was immedi- :
lately relieved from duty, and his COM
mission revoked.
1900 Absolutely Essential"
''The Commission feels that 1t is abb
Ulutely essential that Mt Toast 15OO
more men be added to tie force. and
that each police division be equipped
with high powered motorcar, and men
properly armed to pursue cases of this
Kind, and in addition to patrol the di =
vision at night time, looking for motor
bandits.
"In the Twenty fourth district. In
which the Moorhouse plant is lgtated.
there is population of approximately
$4,000 people, and an area of AZ square
miles. On the afternoon Of the Moor
house robbery. there were available for
street duty but twenty-six patrolmen
to cover that territory.
"The Eighth district. which has q
large floating population and numer-
Gus furnished room houses, in which
a number Of criminals live, takes in the
territory from Sixth to Broad street.
and from Vine to Poplar street, COW
ering the Thirteenth and Fourteenth
Wards, and had available on the night
Of the robbery. at III North Brond
street, but sixteen men for police duty.
"ln the opinion of the commission.
those conditions are not what they
should BE- for proper policing and the
same may be- said of all districts in
philodplnhio -