Evening star., 1948-12-01
Police Reserve
Plan Halted for
Further Study
Commissioners Will
Await Approval Of
Nationwide Action

llC o1SU1 Nv . COl1U1 ONClO1d1 AZ
serve police corps movement is
off-until further notice.
1t was pigeon-holed yesterday by
Commissioner John Russell Young,
who said he was holding off the
whole thing" until a civilian defense
program had been approved for the
entire country by President Truman,
Congress, Defense Secretary For
restal or whomever else needed to
approve 1t.
Mr.. Young's decision was an
nounced at pm. to District Build
ing reporters who had spent the
day asking questions and receiving
conflicting answers about where the
reserve corps idea had originated.
There was conflicting evidence as
to whether the idea was fostered by
Police Supt. Robert j. Barrett or
the Office of Civil Defense and
whether the proposed corps would
serve as a regular police auxiliary
or strictly civilian emergency de-
fense unit.
Taken From Civil Defense Report.
Explaining it to reporters yester-
day, Mr.. Young said the idea came
from the OCD's plans for civil
defense program contained in a re-
port by Russell ]. Hopley, director
of civil defense planning.
Mr.. Young said no one from the
Pentagon had visited him suggest
ing institution of a police reserve
here before the report had the ap-
proval of the Defense Secretary
and had gone to Congress for nee
essary legislation.
I'VE kind of got the idea of what
they wanted" Mr.. Young said. "It's
pretty hard to say how, but we got
the impression they wanted us to go
on with it."
This impression may have come
from the police, who had been in
touch with the OCD, Mr.. Young
added. Previously he had told re-
porters that Inspectors Walter T.
Storm and Lloyd E. Kelly, assigned
by Maj. Barrett to head the police
reserve program. were the police
who had talked with OCD officials.
Fails to Recall Discussion.
Mr.. Young emphasized a previous
assertion that the reserve corps had
been planned as a civilian defense
project and had absolutely nothing
to do with augmenting the police
force"
Asked if Maj. Barrett had recon-
mended the reserves to augment the
regular police force or for civilian
defense, Mr.. Young said he could
not remember what the police super
intendent said the day he discussed
the project in closed meeting with
the commissioners.
A letter from Maj. Barrett to the
Commissioners, when he proposed
the corps October 27. outlined the
reeds for offsetting an acute
shortage of personnel" with
trained reserve of special police pri-
Yates to serve without pay as an
integral part of the department.
Hopley Letter Misinterpreted.
More than a week later, on No
vember 4, the Commissioners re-
ceived letter from Mr.. Hopley.
accompanying copy of the 300-page
proposed civil defense program.
Early yesterday Mr.. Young said
he thought the letter had suggested
formation of the reserve corps here.
But later, when the letter was re-
examined, it developed that Mr..
Hopley was asking that the report
be reviewed by State and District
officials with the hope so they might
make suggestions and recommended
tions for its activation.
Even before the Commissioners
approved the corps on November %,
the Police Department had queries
from several hundred persons VOL
unteering for duty.
About 1000 requests for informa-
tion and applications now have been
received and Maj. Barrett had hoped
to call in the first group of trainees
as soon as manual governing ac-
tivities of the reserve corps was
drawn up.
The Commissioners had recently
said the reserve would not carry
guns unless an emergency existed.
An emergency was defined in the
order setting up the corps as riot,
pestilence. invasion, insurrection or
during any day of public election,
ceremony or celebration"