New Britain herald., 1927-06-18
POLICEMEN RISK
 LIVES EVERY DAY
Exposed During Work to Menace
 of Desperate Characters

l
 mind the dangers which beset the paths of policemen as they go about their duty day after day and night
 after night, although it is highly
 probable that many of the instances
 of danger, not only to limb but to
 life iself. encountered by the brave
 men in blue rever become publicity
 known. When a policeman is shot,
 the city naturally is aroused and
 the affray becomes the sole topic
 of discussion. The same Is true in
 cases where officers are injured
 through being run down by automo- i piles or in scuffles with unruly pris-
 oners, with the more serious incl
 dents, of course. claiming the great
 est portion of attention and re-
 maining longer in the public dis
 Cussion.
 The murder of Policeman James
 Skelly. for which Gerald Chapman
 was executed at Wethersfield pris-
 on: the automobile accident at the
 corner of Main and Commercial
 streets, when Policeman Michael Mechan suffered fracture of the
 leg and was unable to do duty for
 several months: the shooting of
 Policeman David Doty by a youth
 who has yet to be apprehended, in
 the rear of the Guilty building on
 Elm street rear East Main street, and the fall from a motorcycle suf-
 fered by Policeman Edward Kiely several weeks ago, are the most serious occurrences of this nature to ] occur to members of the police de- partment of late years. yet the po-
 liceman going out on his be- | never knows at what moment he may be killed or seriously wounded.
 while the general public, especially
 in times of embarrassment on the
 part of the police. appears to care
 little for the welfare of the men
 whose sworn duty 1t is to protect life and property.
 Several years ago, policeman on Guty in the northwestern section of the city. heard shot which he was certain came from a revolver and he hurried towards the direction from which if seemed 10 com3. As he ran along the street. he saw man com- ing towards him. his actions indi- eating that he had either fired the shot or had been close oy when the shooting occurred. Before reaching the policeman, he turned into a yard where there was high board fence dividing two properties, and in { a twinkling he had sealed it.
 Directed by a bystandcr, the po- liceman pursued the fugitive, but as he mounted the fence, never expect ing his quarry to be waiting for him. the bluecoat looked into the barrel of revolver leveled at the center of | his forehead.
 'The minute that seems year" vas originated then, it seemed, but fortune favored the policeman and the trigger of the revolver clicked thrice against an empty 3arrel. The sunman escaped through rear yards but was apprehended in another city the following day and was brought back to this city for shooting a young woman with intent to kill. Had the revolver from which the ! bullet that struck her Was fired, been ! fully loaded. the polio ,man who | mounted the fence in the perform ance of his duty would have been shot down, for he had no chance to defend himself. while the gunman, , only few feet away. had drawn a ''bead' on him. Few outside the po- 1 lice department ever learned Of the 1 incident.
 1 Many cases are on record in the liccmen who stepped into the street | to signal 10 reckless or suspicious motorists to stop in the dead of night. Cars probably carrying illicit 1 liquor have sped through tte streets with drivers at the wh, els whose sole thoughts were to reach a certain destination without being arrested. Desperate men. many of them, they think nothing of driving straight at a policeman, apparently estimating their chances Of escape good enough to warrant the risk of additional charges should they be caught later. Recently. when an aulomobile in which it was suspected there was a 1 lead of alcohol was forced against the curb by a car carrying police men, one of the latter came as close to being maimed for life as it is pos | ci h1n n he, ho Ia, i.l l the police car towards the other ma chine only to have the latter put on speed and scrapc past the pursuing vehicle. Had the officer been q frac- Y, ton of a second Quicke', he would 1 have been jammed between the cars { in the midst Of a driving lain storm, i otherwise the officer in all probab bill ity would have left the police car a trifie sooner. On account of the rain, he remained under cover of the car as long as he could and IS matters turned out the slight delay saved him from possible dca,r. Only his brother officers knew of his close call.
 In days gone by. when there were fewer policemen than there are at present and street fights were more frequent. it was q common sight for crowds to stand back and watch sev- ,ral mon assault the wicidcr of the nghtstick. Policemen Were decidedly unpopular in certain districts and time after time they cam. into head quarters badly beaten after a single handed struggle against heavy odds. Sometimes they brought their pris- oncrs and frequently they brought cnly names and descriptions. The de- volopment of modern police systems. however, has eliminated !, great deal or the danger 10 policemen from rowdics. and now the cases of re. sistancc heard in police court ar quite rare.
 Fights in dance halls and at wed ding rccrDiiOnS freuuen.lv rcSulte,'