The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-29
HIGHWAY PATROL
FORCE IS DOUBLED
THIRTY-FIvE NEW MEN PUT on
MANY DELINQUENTS ARRESTED
OR WARNED DURING APRIL-47
DRUNKENe DRIVERS HELD.

Thirty-five new State Highway Pa
trolmen will get their first experience
on duty this week. And it will be
active duty too, for they will get on
the job just before Decoration Day
and many of them will be on the job
twelve or fifteen hours both Saturday
and Sunday, trying to direct the heavy
traffic which always goes with a
double holiday.
The new patrolmen have been in
school" since early in March, shortly
after the legislature passed the bill
increasing the personnel of the patrol
from thirty-five to seventy men. They
were selected from more than 1,400
applicants and have been put through
an intensive course of training. After
two weeks of manual labor, to put
them in physical condition and test
their stamina, they have been given
courses in observation, traffic rules,
first aid, auto mechanics. headlight
testing, geography Of Minnesota,
English grammar, boxing, wrestling,
jui-jitsu, target practice, and motor
cycle operation.
The training course viii be finished
this week, and the men who pass the
tests will take the oath of Office and
be given their badges, uniforms and
equipment There will be no cere-
monies to mark the end of the train
ing course, but the men will go to
work at once.
In most cases the new men will be
paired with. older men on the force
They will be distributed in all parts
of the state. They will be in uniform
at all times, and there will be no ar
rests from ambush. They will have
no fixed stations" but will move from
place to place over their beats. While
routes which carry the heaviest traffic
will see the patrolmen oftener than
light traffic routes, all the trunk high
ways will be covered frequently.
The aim of the patrol, according to
Earle Brown, chief patrol officer, is to
keep traffic moving safely" I'VE
want to help motorists observe the
traffic law, rather than try to catch
them breaking it," Mr.. Brown says.
when a driver is stopped by an
officer, he should feel that the officer
is calling his attention to an error
which if repeated will sooner or later
lead to an accident. We do not want
to make arrests unless we are COM
PEELED to-"
Incorrect and delinquent auto liz
censes occupied large share of the
time of the Minnesota Highway Pa
troll in April. according to a monthly
report. During the month ia were
arrested for having improper license,
So had their cars impounded until IL
cense was obtained, 1,181 were given
tags requiring them to make license
corrections within 48 hours, and 267
were let off with warning.
The reason for the unusual number
of improper license cases is that March
81, is the last day old license plates
may be legally used, but many car
owners continued to use them in April.
The first week or ten days they were
let off with a tag or warning, but
later such offenders were arrested
Corrections of license brought the state
$4,919 in taxes and $722 in fines
Gases where motorists had already OBJ
tanned their plates but neglected to
put them on are not included in the
report of money collected.
Offenses other than license viola
tons brought $3311 in fines, of which
$2,448 came from drunken drivers
There were AZ arrested for driving
while drunk and 43 cars impoundeo
due to drivers being drunk Other
arrests included IS for failure to stop
at stop signs, IS overweight vehicles, 20
careless driving.
Tags were given to 1,697 drivers for
illegal equipment, including 458 no
rear light, AL for one headlight, 209
no clearance lights, and 191 for illegal
or badly adjusted lights. Warnings
were given to 1873 motorists and aid
to 433.