Evening star., 1949-02-06
Police Center
Calls in Year
Complaint Room Dotu
Yields First Full !.
Record of Activities :,

NS~Ss0 VI HStIVbklSS
The Police Department today had
It's first accurate count of how many
times in the course of a year the
public calls for assistance.
The first report from the year,
Did Police Communications Center
and Records shows the department
handled more than 231 900 calls for
service during 194S.
The center was set up in Janu-
ary, 1947, to channel complaints
through a central complaint room
and to keep more complete crime
reporting system.
Assistant Superintendent Floyd A.
Iruscott. who set up the new sys-
tenn, said yesterday he believed the
first Ger report mot only demon
strates the value of the central COM
plant room but gives us a standard
for the future for comparative pur-
poses."
First Accurate Record.
He explained that the department
now has an accurate record of a
years activity and can estimate fu-
ture increases or decreases in crime
ana the number of calls for service.
Before this report, Inspector Trus-
colt said, the only count of calls for
police service was 2 numerical count
OF all calls going through the police
switchboard. Since that count in
cluded the routine business of con-
Quoting a police headquarters as
we'll as personal calls, it gave no
picture at all of requests for assist
ance.
Inspector Truscott SAID police
officials knew in a general way that
much Of the assistance given by
police was never recorded, but no
one would have estimated that calls
for help would exceed 200, 1000 in q
year.
Record is Complete.
Now that the record shows the
time of day, week and month when
calls are heaviest, Inspector TruScott
said, the department will have
factual basis for distributing its per-
sonnel, showing the need for more
personnel and in what categorles.
The Ger report shows that the
communications logged 1873, 1886 calls
for service during 1948. These calls
ranged from woman breaking her
leg to a man stabbing his wife.
Three months after the new sys-
tenn got under way, a method was
devised to keep track of the un-
logged calls reaching the complaint
room-calls for such information as
what highway to take out of town.
For the nine months during which
a record of unlogged calls was
maintained, police handled more
than $4,000 unlogged calls. r. 9-s2
q Inspector Truscott said the only
calls that were not recorded we're
ones that went direct to precincts,
were not Of d serious nature and no
further action was required, 79
Some Statistics Incomplete.
. Tie statistical report has not yet
been completed on the nature of all
the calls, but these figures were
available yesterday:
Of the 23l, 900, follow-up reports
indicating further action were re-
quired in 72,077 cases.
A total of 24,240 serious crimes
were reported. These included homi-
eide. rape, robbery, aggravated as
sault, housebreaking, larceny and
auto theft.
OF this total, 1886 were found to
be fasle reports; 8,734 were cleared
by arrests and 1927 were cleared by
other means such as complainant's
refusal to prosecute or complain
ants expressed wish that no further
action be taken.
The department cleared 45.3 per
cent of these offenses, which In
spector Truscott pointed out in
cluded numerous larceny cases under
$25. The homicide squad cleared
a fraction over 95 per cent of its
cases, according to the report.
Figures Being Compiled.
FoId dl1oC1CS III oIll1 bC441S CO4lAPA4Co
on the largest volume of cases.
These include traffic offenses, drunk
and disorderly conduct, vagrancy,
false pretenses and arrests for in
vestigation among others.
Inspector Truscott pointed out
that in addition to the 72,077 cases
requiring further reports, many
others required at least an arrest
report. For instance, a drunk picked
up on the corner would show up
in an arrest report but no further
report would be needed.
With complaints recorded as fast
as the calls come in and progress
reports required at regular inter-
walls, Inspector Truscott said, I'VE
are now able to keep our finger on
the pulse of a case from it's incep-
ton to its conclusion"