Evening star., 1925-06-21
RADIO BEING USED
BY CHICAGO POLICE
Broadcasting Station on Top
of City HalI-Cars Equipped
With Apparatus.
BY CARL. IL. BUTMAN.

BY CARL II. BUTMAN.
The Chicago police department is
being completely equipped with MOD
ern radio apparatus. including 4
oadcasting station located on the
top of the City Hall. and 26 nigh.
powered bandit cha sing cars outhtted
with radio.
The crime squad cars touring the
city will be equipped for sending ano
receiving even while the cars are IN
motion. These cars are manned ny
armed men and will be directed tN
ia dio from headquarters. Each poiice
station will become receiving sta
lion. linked by land wires with the
policeman on every beat.
These and other plans have been
perfected by Chief of Police Morgan
A. Collins, acting with Alderman
Jacob NJ Arvey. head of the city $
radio commission, and will be eHectlVe
this Winter.
The immediate installation of this
do system is an absolute neces-
sity," Chief Collins says.
speed Necessary.
"Speed in communication Al the
right time is the only means we nave
of coping with criminals. Bandits
work fast and always employ the
sreediest mothod of escape-hlSh.
powered automobiles. They depend
ON confusion and slow-starting pur-
sutt in making their getaway
We must match their speed with
something even faster. That some
Thing is radio. giving information i'm
lnediately to crime squads. district
stations. railroad terminals and OH
GERS guarding bridges and roads.
The system as finally worked out.
after more than a year of experiment
ing. will probably meet with Depart
lnent of Commerce requirements-
that is. the use of special short
wave length and only sufficient power
Ia reach the necessary stations in the
net.
t,sinc = particular wave length. one
unaffected bv The broadca sting OF
IA rger stations. it will be possible Tor
The crime squads and stations TO be In
constant communication with head
quarters.
To Install Station.
with the help of Alderman avery
and his council radio commission. |
expect TO have installed very shortly
q municipal broadcastlng station on
the top of the City Hall and the neces-
sary land lines to tie in the man on
the post with the central station,
he augmented with receiving sets on
o,Ir motorized squads, district police
stations and wherever a policeman Is
on duty"
Bv way of illustration Of just how
essential the saving of time Is to the
apprehension of criminals he relates
the following:
"A few months ago a robbery was
committed in broad daylight in the
South Side district. The hold-up men.
according to their Tell worked out
and probably rehearsed plans, made
their getaway in a high-powered car.
"A pedestrian across the street got
the last two numbers on the license
plate at the rear end of the heelng
machine The citizen transmitted the
numbers to q policeman. VINO re-
sponded 10 the general alarm. the
officer notified his station over the po-
lice wire from the patrol box: with
the result that this meager lnforma
ton. together with general descr1p-
ton of the car. was flashed TO police
throughout the city.
THE car, which was ma king for In
diana, was stopped in South ChlcaSo
bv detectives who were rushed to the
logical outlet TO ana-lndia ma pols
boulevard OF course, good fortune
was with us in getting our men there
answer is that these bandits are now
doing time in Jail"
That was how the chief related one
of Chicago's most exciting bandit cap
lures aided by the present wire com
municating system.
Delay Fatal.
"I cannot empha size TOO strongly
that if the message had been delayed
q second the hold-up men would
have made good their escape, and the
chances are 100 to ! they would not
have been apprehended for that par
ticular crime" he continued.
When 3 crime is committed we
are always step behind the culprit
Telephone delays are always fatal,
where the essential element is quick
police action. With radio taking
regular place in our police equipment
we shall be able to eliminate all these
DANA ging DELAYS. and. instead of
repetition Of orders through various
departments. We shall be able TO
broa dcaSt an alarm to every part OF
the city the moment crime Is per
petrated.'
chief Collins has many other plans
for radio. For insta nee. the broadcast
ing of general alarms TO the public
will he 4 feature when the radio sys-
ten, is installed. Small cities. IS well
a the large cities throughout the Mid
die West. will be furnished with police
information. such as descriptions Of
Ia ndits and stolen cars. the moment
II is received.
Radio indispensable.
Radio is in u class by itself for
spreading information directly to the
public" the chief asserts. "A change
~ traffic regulations often causes con-
siderable confusion in the beginning.
il takes weeks, yes. months, for peo-
pie living in The suburbs to become
familiar with the change There are
thousands Of motor car drivers today
in the city who are unfamiliar with
our 'no-left-turn order in the loop dis
trict, although the order has been out
for months. With the aid of radio we
rsn explain daily, week in advance,
every change we intend 20 make in
the handling Of traffic.
BY this means we shall be able TO
impress on the brain OF all Chicago
what we plan 10 do. Many of our
orGina II, es and laws are broken uniu-
teutionally 10y good citizens. who are
unfa miliar with the laws. 4 munich
pal broadcaSting station viii be a big
help because q series of lectures can
he broadcast touching upon the many
minor viola tiOnS which clutter up our
courts. These lectures will be the
means of eliminating many infrac-
lions. Radio is an absolute necessity
IN our work % safeguarding the city"
he concluded.
Needs Complete System.
Chicago has been conducting some
very interesting experiments with
radio as an aid to police work, accord
ing to Chairman Arvey of the council
L
have a complete radio system in order
10 adequately fight and suppress crime