Evening star., 1926-09-17
INADEQUATE POLICE FORCES
AID CRIMINALS IN AMERICA
Ratio to Population Is Far
Below That in
Europe.
Protective Associations Have
Proved of Value in Curb
ing Crime.
RY LOUIS SEIBOLD.


The war between society and or
Ganized crime is war between two
crmly determined armies
The conflict will ultimately deter
mine whether ] 500, 900 criminals can
continue to aout and defy the laws of
The great Government of the United
states and its constituent parts. In
other articles the writer has described
the scope causes and consequences of
criminal aggressions. This chapter of
the series deals with protective and
counter offensive measures taken by
society against the criminal army.
The protection provided the inhabi-
tants OF the average American city is
actually much less effective than is
Ge2arsDY Supposed. Even with the
added strength OF private protective
forces, the police organizations of the
country are at a disadvantage on
every hand
London, with a population Of 7,000-
900. has one policeman for every 800
persons. Rome has one for every 1923
persons, Brussels one for every 20o,
Berlin one for every 225, Vienna one
for every 275. Paris one for every 276.
The City of New York, however. has.
theoretically. one policeman for every
446 Inhabitants and practically only
one for every 1888 people.
Police Protection Limited.
There are 14,154 members of the
New York City police force These
men are divided into three shifts of
eight hours each. Substractions must
be made for men assigned to motor
cycle. traffic detective and other spe-
cial duty
Five hundred Inhabitants of. this
city have one policeman to protect
them from crime. which is only so per
cent the protection provided in Paris
Police protection in other American
urban centers ranges generally lower
than that provided in New York, al
though in some cities it is larger. The
ratios of residents per policeman in
some typical cases are:
Los Angeles, 230; Jersey City, 1868
Philadelphia. 1868; Detroit, 3SG /; Bos-
ton. $50: st. Louis, Az Baltimore.
as; Chicago, 450: Omaha, 701; Yonk-
Buffalo. Gel, Syracuse, 669; Roches-
ter, S9z: Jamestown, 1908.
Wide Variations.
When the platoon and other sys-
TENS in operation in New York State
are taken into consideration. the ef-
feet is to reduce the actual protection
by about one-third. Practically, Yonk-
ers, Troy. New Rochelle and Albany
average more than $500 persons pey
policeman. The average for Buffalo,
Syracuse, Schenectady and Mount
Vernon is 2,100 per policeman. Roch-
ester, Niagara Falls, Elmira, Utica,
and Binghamton average one officer
per $500 popuI ton. Jamestown has
only one officer FOR each 6, ,424 citizens.
The distances covered by these off,
GERS in patrolling their beats range
all the way from .945 miles in New
York City to 1892 miles in James
town. The Buffalo figure is }2.494
miles, Albany, 2.783: Syracuse, 3.419;
Rochester. 4.249, and Elmira, 7.4S7.
From. tiltle TO time large increases
have been made in the police forces
of the greaE cities of New York and
other States. but in general no metrop-
oils has kept pace with its own
rapidly growing population. The cities
of New York are typical Of those of
the country as a whole, and one Of
the chief correctiveS suggested by
criminologists. administrators and stu
dents is an adequate police system.
Efficiency at Issue.
The question pf police efficiency is
another which must be answered be-
fore the crime situation can be salts
factorily handledl The establishment
Of a central bureau of Identification Of
criminals will do much to aid police
work. New York State is probably