Evening star., 1938-01-28
CAPITALS CRIME
LAID IN PART TO
VISITOR influx
F. B. !. Assistant Director
Says Police Ratio Is
Thrown Off Balance.
CITES SURVEY DATA
AT HEALTH FORUM
Lester Says 100000 "Floating'
Population Yearly Aggravates
Washington Situation.

washington SITUATION.
Washington's additional population
load Of more than 100000 visitors
yearly was blamed In part, at least
for its "above the average crime rec
ord" last night by Maj. w. H. Drans
Lester. assistant director of the Fed
eral Bureau Of Investigation, who
spoke in the weekly Public Health
Forum at Georgetown University.
Maj. Lester emphasized that a study
OF records shows conclusively that
crime in the larger cities invariably
increases as the proportion Of police
men to population decreases. Wash.
ington's police force, relatively tho
second largest in the country, II
thrown out Of balance by the huge
addition to the normal population,
ne claimed. and is therefore unable
to provide adequate protection against
criminals.
Don't fool yourselves" he said.
You're not cutting down costs bv
cutting down on the number of police.
In short, our study showed rather
definitely that it is false economy for
a city to decrease the number Of
policemen and that, in the long run, .
municipality, county or State with
inadequate police protection will pay
IN an increased crime rate"
Visitors Raise Problem.
Maj. Testers EXPLANATION of the
crime situation in Washington was
made during a panel discussion after
he had cited that this city tied"
with Boston for second place in the
relative size of its police force, having
80 police per 1000 population. First
rank was credited to jersey City.
Washington's police force is adequate
enough in comparison with other cities
to take care Of its normal population,
he indicated. except for the fact its
floating" population is equalled BY
few cities.
During 1885, he said, the Bureau Of
Investigation had made a study Of
local crime in 88 cities Of over 100000
population. The cities were classified
into groups in connection with police
protection ratings.
Class cities, which included Wash.
ington, comprised those with 2.3 po-
lcemen or more per 1000 population.
The lowest. Glass 4, had an average Of
8 Of one policeman per 1000 inhabit-
ants.
Murder Rate Advances.
He said: "Our study revealed that
in those cities in Glass /, having sn
average of 2.3 policemen per 1000,
the murder rate averaged SO murders
per 100000. Going down to Class 2,
with only is policemen, the murder
rate increased more than 200 per cent
to 8.8 murders per 100000 population.
In the case Of robbery. the cities Of
Class /, had q robbery rate Of 500,
while those in Class 3, with an average
Of IL policemen, had robbery rate
Of 88.5.
In the case Of petty thefts, the
class l cities had an average Of S9l.3
petty thefts per 100000 Inhabitants.
while those in class 4, with only o
Of one policeman per 1000 popula-
ton, had a rate Of 9527 petty thefts.
And so it went on through the entire
field of crime"
Fifty per cent more women pro-
portionately were arrested for criminal
homicides last year In the United
States than were men, Maj. Lester
said. Despite this record, however,
he said that women are no problem
in crime" since they comprise only
7.3 per cent Of all persons arrested.
Maj. Lester had been asked to speak
on "Your Doctor and Crime Preven-
ton" In the forum but changed his
topic to Modern Trends in Criminolo-
gy" He did. however, fashion . defi-
mite link between disease and crime.
Juvenile q Problem.
Possibly the greatest single crime
juvenile criminal" he said. More
than one out Of every six persons ar.
rested during 1885 for every crime
from murder down were boys and girls
under 81 years Of age. This Is an
absolutely disproportionate percentage.
"The majority Of these youngsters
were not arrested for childish pranks
or petty misdemeanors. Our study
shows that 743 were arrested for GRIM
inal homicide; 1929 for rape; 3,53S
for robbery; 3.012 for assault. 1850
for burglary; 1892 for larceny, and
5.472 for the specific crime Of stealing
automobiles. In short, so per cent
Of the youngsters arrested in my coun-
try last year were arrested for the
more serious type Of crime"
Claiming that many Of these young
sters are Undoubtedly the victims
Of disease and bad environment, Maj.
Lester said that some Of them need
a doctor more than they need magis-
trate." He suggested, in response to
questioning, that medical clinics for
juveniles should be . part Of every
prison or house Of correction.
Assisting in the panel were DR.. John
r. Cavanagh, forum chairman; the
Rev. Francis E. Lucey, s. J., regent
Of the Georgetown Law School; Profs.
James A. Toomey and Al Philip Kane
Of the law school; DR.. Andrew j. Kress
Of the College faculty and Dr.. Mario
Millari Of the medical faculty.
BAND CONCERT.
n 49, r>sS - ss.~A