The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-09-19
U, S. EMPLOYS
MORE THAN Is
KINDS OF COPS
All but Three Major Govern
ment Branches Have
Police Activities.

Bp r.pps.Ho,o0rd Newspaper Alliance
WARRINGTON, Sept. 49, 49, At
least twenty-five different kinds of
federal police will arrest you if you
don't watch out.
A survey of government depart
ments today revealed the fact that
IN al but three Of the major de-
partments of the government there
are groups that have policing &C
tivities In two of these, however,
the war and navy departments, men
are detailed as military police and
they can arrest civilians who vio-
late the laws on military or naval
reservations.
The treasury department, whose
major purpose is to handle govern
mental fiscal affairs, has more po-
Icing activities than any other Of
the larger federal agencies.
The department of commerce,
which likes to be known as ''serv-
ice" agency. has three policing &C
tiyities and the agriculture depart
ment and the interior department
as many.
Powers Are Increased
Recent transfer of the prohibition
bureau from the treasury to the de-
partment Of justice gives the latter
the best known police powers. But
besides that activity, department of
Justice agents and United States
msrshals and their deputies also
can go out and put factious civilians
in Jail
Besides its own treasury guards,
the treasury department is in
charge of narcotic officers, secret
Servicemen. coast guardsmen and
customs agents.
Under department Of commerce
supervision, the bureau of aeronau-
tics inspectors, steamboat service
inspectors and bureau of navigation
inspectors have some police powers.
The interior department employs
agents to stop Illicit liquor trade in
Alaska, it has its own Indian police
who watch over the Indian reserva-
tons. and it's national park service
employs rangers and park guards.
Employ Border Cops
The labor department employs
immigration border patrolmen and
immigration inspectors.
The agriculture department also
has its own police charged with
watching its premises, its forestry
bureau inspectors look after the ma
tional woodlands and see that no
laws concerning them are violated,
and then it has agents who, under
the biological survey, see to it that
no migratory fowl falls before hunt
ers' scatter guns.
The postofice department. has a
bureau Of postal inspectors whose
deeds of curbing postal law violat tons
have made more than few news
paper and magazine yarns.
Only a Reservation
The war and navy departments
have. as has been told, their mill |
tsry police. who are concerned only |
with maintaining the peace and |
dignity of military reservations.
The state department, now con-
cerned with the question of wheth |
er or not some of its diplomats
may wear Respondent uniforms,
says it has no policing activities
whatever.
A citizen Of or g visitor to Wash
ington faces arrest by at least four
kinds of policemen, if he breaks the |
rules and regulations. In the Dis
trict of Columbia, under federal SUI
pervision, there are the metropoli- |
tan police, the park police, the cap
itol police and then corps of about /
fifty secret service men charged !
with guarding the White House,