Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-26
plAaEs LIaroR FOR NEW
 LoNDoN,s CRIME REEoRl

sue oIiclal organ Of the Connecticut 4 4nti-saloon League. The. article con Einues:
 A coast city, with a large floating pop | ulatsoH, it is a resort for summer visitors l and a haven for sailors. With total population of 25,6sS, nearly 5000 of it's | residents are of foreign birth and only l 10.3T2 are of native white percentage 1 All the elements for bootlegging, hooch- l making and general law violation are present; the foreign element not under standing our customs, the floating pop ulation, the nalefactors of great wealth, the open coast accessible to the rum-run- ming vessels, etc. etc.. etc.-they are all there. The only thing missins is the logical conclusion.
 New Londons police record has al- WFys been a credit to the force but not always a credit to the community In tliis respect it shared in the record of the whole of New London county, which in 1915 furnished as many jail commit ments as Windham. Litchheld, Middle sex and Holland counties combined. and in 1918 half again as many as the total of these four other counties. This in spite of the fact that the population of New London county was only one-half as much as the population of these four other counties.
 All this did not make New London's record seem altogether immaculate. The truth, however, was that 1t was not New London, either the city or the coun- ty, whose record was so bad. It was just the ancient tale of John Barieycorn, the open saloon melting to crime and staining the reputation of typical Con necticut community.
 In the last six months of 1917 (the figures for the full year are not avail able) in the city of New London, there were 1929 arrests for all causes and 4s1 arrests for drunkenness. In 1918, there were 2,447 arrests for all causes and 1,033 arrests for drunkenness. The first six months of 1929 saw 1929 total ar rests and GAP arrests for drunkenness. This was the record while the liquor traffic was controlled" by law, under 1 license, the business in the hands of respectable persons" as our '1iberap' friends advocate.
 | Then came wartime prohibition. In l former years during July with Its ad- vent of summer visitors and the general l ly relaxed conventionalities and the free
 dom off shore resort, the number of ar
 rests had generally advanced. In June of this year-1919-there were 20s ar
 rests of which 103 were for drunkenness
 July, under wartime prohibition. saw 10e
 arrests of which only five we're foI drunkenness. The total arrests for the | first six months of prohibition were 475 1 of which only S5 were for drunkenness 1 This decrease was not temporary. Il
 has been said of many communities that
 wartime prohibition decreased arrests fol drunkenness only for the time required l for illicit sellers to establish themselye: and become known to their customers
 It may be true In some cities, but New k.h | In 1920, the total arrests were 1,0s4 1 less than ene-half of the total number | in any wet year of which there i record Of this number, only 232 vert for drunkenness, in spite of the fact tha
 in New London the appearance of an in reAieated man is the signal for hii immediate arrest The arrests fol
 drunkenness were less than one-third tn number in any wholly "wet" year O l which. there is record.
 In 1921, there were s9s persons ar | rested in New London for all charge I and 26S for drunkenness. Up to Jul! I 1, 1922, there have been 4s3 arrests oi all charges and 154 arrests for drunken ness.
 ,l The record for the entire county par allels the record for the city. The tota
 number of commitments to the NsE OOHQ0l county Jdll TUT ldSl WAS lSs \ than one-feurth of the total number 0
 commitments for 1919, a half wet ant
 half dry year, and about one-ffth of tn
 total in 1918, the previous low wet
 year.
 In 1918, the last wholly wet" year there were 1,153 persons committed t jail for all causes. 1919 was half
 and-half year. wartime prohibition ar
 irving July l. Its total commitment
 numbered ITO. InI1920, the first full.
 dry" year, there were 2ss jail com
 mitments and only 1S2 last year. Drunkenness was the charge on whicl
 from one-third to one-hah of the iai :, commitments was based. It Is now tn ] basis for one-ninth to one-twelfth of tn
 commitments Where the average nun
 Der of commitments for drunkenness t jail was ASA in the last four wet" years in 1919, the halfwet and half-dry year
 there were only 305 persons sent t
 iail in the county on this charge | 1920 there were 64 and only 22 in 1921 This last figure is just about four an
 seven-tenths per cent. of the averas number of drunkenness commitments i the four years preceding wartime pro } hibition.
 Sex offenses almost always accompan drunkenness. The arrests for sue !
 lice are aetive-and they are active i New London-usually rise and fall
 the same degree as the arrests for In
 toxication or for breach of the peac , and similar offenses. In 1916, 3s per , sons were sent to the county jail o 7 charges involving commercialized vict : In 1917 there were 25 such prisoner
 and 54 in 1918. the last wholly we
 year. 1919 showed a drop to IF, l92 ; to and 1921 to 12. Last year whll . showing an increase over the prf1 .d J 7 year. also showed decrease over an preceding wet year. It's total nufnbe : of commitments for these offenses wa
 less than one-fourth the number in tn
 year 1918 and less than one-thi=d c
 1916's total.
 !. When the 1921 report was completed there were just Is prisoners in jail l |, New London county. This is less tha : onA-half the number in jail at the obs of the two preceding annual reports < New London's problems and exper1 I erces are very similar to those met l z Newport, R. l., with the Connection Y city facing greater percentage or tol , eign born folk who have retained olo world customs In neither communit = was there lacking any element whic might furnish all the booze-running an
 hooch-making businels opportunity. Ei
 fective work by the police force in eac
 city has shown the effectiveness of pro r hibition. it's value in decreasing crim i, and has demonstrated that it can be CT 1 forced.
 Of course, some folks can get drin in either city. There Is no place in tn world where laws are not violated, bu violations of the liquor laws in New Lon
 don are fewer than violations of man other laws Nearly all of such v:els