Evening star., 1925-11-08

tions that the development of police
administration has Jagged behind as
society has changed in recent years.
| They know that police work can and
should be improved. 1t is only within
recent years that psychologists have
turned their attention seriously to,
ward the social field. Previously they
have left it to the sociologists. and the
sociologists have tended to deal very
largely in speculative generalities
rather than to apply the principle of
objective experiment to social be-
havior.
1T has been said in checking over
crime-increase figures in this country
against the decrea Sc in crime in Great
Britain that one of the reasons for our
failure to prosecute criminals after
they have been apprehended is the
fact that policemen do not gather suf.
ficient evidence for conviction of the
criminals they do catch. That is very
easily explained, because our police
men have not been selected for their
powers of observation or their mem
ories, but rather for their physical
proWeSS.
Throughout the United States and
Canada the feeling is fairly general
that police administration in cities
! does not meet the demands of present
day civilization. Few things are SC
rare in large city as the unqualified
! Endorsement of the police force"
Mr.. Average Citizen is inclined to
think that our police forces fail ad.
equately to meet the problems given
them to deal with. particularly in
checking crime either by preventing
crime. or detecting the criminal. SO.
clal workers say that the police are
hard-boiled and that they are negli.
gent in preventive as well as con.
structive police work.
The civil service administrators are
unhappy about their part in the selec.
! ton of men for the police and detec.
tive forces. Every one seems to feel
that something ought to be done, but
the problem is just what to do. Per.
haps the social intelligence test is go
| ing to aid materially in solving the
problem.
When bank cashiers and receiving
tellerS are chosen because of their
ability to get along with people as
we'll as for their knowledge of bank.
ing business, there are going to be
fewer persons transfer their accounts
IN nun from one bank to another.
detectives who are chosen for their
| natural aptitude for seeing through
| people" are going to make fewer fun
bleS in landing their criminals
In the choice of patrolmen and de.
tect1ves heretofore, too much empha.
Sis has been put on physical size
| rather than on quickness and mental
alertness, or on modern devices for
quick communication and transporta.
! ton Of police officers. A little man on
a motor cycle is much more efficient
! in running down a bandit in an auto.
| mobile-incidentally the way all ban
dts travel in this day and time-than
| a giant policeman without his seven.
league boots.
In police work. in personnel work,
in banking. in teaching, or in any
position where handling a constant
stream of people is necessary, no dual.
ff1cation is more important than the
power to analyZe situations, to ap
preciate motives which govern people
In their conduct, to deal with human
beings impatient of restraint, and to
understand and carry out the policies
and directions of superior officers.
Copyright. 1929