Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-26
PRECINCT MERGERS
PLANNED TO HELP
POLICE EFFICIENCY
Commissioners Expected to
Act on Proposed Changes
Tomorrow Morning.
PERSONNEL SHIFTS ALSO
SEEN IN REORGANIZATION
Consultations to Include First
With Sixth, Eighth With Second
and Fourth With Fifth.

An order putting into effect impor-
tant changes in the method of admin
istering affairs Of the Police Depart
ment will be before the District Com
missioners for action at their regular
board meeting tomorrow morning. Most
important among the proposed changes
is system for the merging of six pre-
cincts into three, the division Of the
District into three territorial units, each
under police control of an inspector
working from one of the precinct sta
tons. and the setting up of three small
liquor and gambling squads, one in each
Of the new districts.
The order, to be adopted tomorrow,
has nothing to say about changes in
personnel, but 1t will be followed up by
Q series Of administrative orders from
Mai. Henry G. Pratt. which must be
approved by the Commissioners, assign
ing men to new posts in connection
with the reorganization. Most Of the
prospective changes in personnel are
fairly well known, although there is
no oficial confirmation available as to
any Of them. Inspector william S.
Shelby is to relinquish command Of the
Detective Bureau, and become an of
fice" worker, directly under Maj. Pratt,
having charge Of many of the admin
istrative details now falling on Maj.
Pratt'S shoulders. Capt. F. S. w. Burke
Is to succeed Shelby in command at de-
tecttve headquarters. Capt. Burke's pres
ert command, the first precinct, Is to
be merged with the sixth precinct, as
soon as the Federal building program
forces the first out Of its Twelfth street
home.
Other Mergers Planned.
Other mergers will affect the eighth
and second precincts, leaving Capt. o.
T. Davis of No. free to accept the
promotion to inspector, which is ex-
pected to be rendered to him. The
fourth and nth precincts are also ex-
pected to be merged.
In each case of a merger the officers
OF one Of the merged precincts will
probably be taken in as stair officers
serving directly under the district In
spector. who viii have his ONCE In the
precinct which Is decommissioned. This
will serve also as headquarters for the
divisional vice squads expected to be
get up.
The three divisions are expected to be
aligned as follows: First division-flrst,
third, seventh and sixth precincts; sec
ond division-fourth, fifth, ninth. elev-
enth and harbor precincts: third divi-
sion-second, eighth, tenth, twelfth,
thirteenth and fourteenthy precincts.
Some Of the personnel changes will
wait until July /, when, owing to the
new regulation recently adopted by the
Commissioners, all officers In the de-
partment who have reached their
sixty-fourth birthday must be retired.
This will mean an end of the police
careers Of Inspector William H. Harri-
son and Capts. c. H. Brsmerman and
j. M. Walsh. It was previously stated
that Capt. ]. z. Wilson would also be
automatically retired Capt. Wilson,
who does not reach his Sixty-fourth
birthday until Dec: mber, queried head
quarters concerning this report and 1t
was discovered that his personnel record
carried q clerical error making him
seem five months older than his birth
certificate shows.
Crosby Planned Changes.
If Capt. Davis gets the inspectorship
vacated by Inspector Harrison, this still
leaves q vacancy for one inspector in
order that one may be assigned to each
of the three new districts. Capt. Lionel
J. H. Edwards, the departments per-
sonnet oficer, Is said to be in line for
this. The Commissioners have the
power to create the additional inspec-
torship without congressional action,
and all Of the other reorganization plans
are likewise within their power.
1t Is said that the present Police Com
missioner, Maj. Gen. Herbert B. Crosby,
desires the new organization set up be-
cause Of dificulty encountered now in
seeing that the privates on the beat
carry out all Of their orders from head
quarters. With the inspecting oficers
now all in the headquarters building,
there Is q great deal Of lost motion in
following up orders in the street.
The recent introduction Of motor We
hicles for patrolling the streets and Of
cruisers equipped with radio receivers
has given an added range to the patrol
men and made their individual move
YnentS more dif1cult TO follow. This is
expected TO be corrected by having the
inspecting oficers closer TO the forces
which it Is their duty to inspect.
In the past the District has been
divided into two police districts, one
east Of Seventh street and the other
west. This division, however, has been
more OF theory than fact, since po-
lice matters arising in one district
have often been handled by the tnspec-