Evening star., 1950-09-16
Police Outline
Defense
Requirements
Applicants for Jobs
In Reserves Must
Get FBI Clearance
BY Miriam Ottenbero

Police Department orders set
ting up the Police Reserve Corps
as an integral part" of the de-
partment with strict requirements
for membership were made public
today.
To get into the new corps, ap-'
plicants will have TO get Federal
Bureau of Investigation clearance,
undergo character investigations
and pass physical examinations.
The order spelling out the du-
ties of the new corps came as
the long awaited United States
civil defense plan, prescribing
what communities should do,
neared publication.
National Plan Waited.
The National Security Resources
Board announced that President
Truman will present the national
plan to Congress Monday. A
seminar" on the plan, presided
over by NSRB Chairman w.
Stuart Symington, is scheduled to
go to press tomorrow.
Once Congress has seen the
plan, an estimated 100000 copies
will be distributed to local, State
and Federal officials throughout
the country.
Unlike the Inflated Hopley re-
port on civil defense planning two
years ago, this one has the Presi-
dents blessing. It goes first to
Congress presumably because it
contains requests for legislation.
1t was the Hopley report that
prompted Police Chief Robert j.
Barrett two years ago to seek
police reserve corps. The Com
misSioners authorized the corps
but the project was shelved be-
cause of public opposition.
Authorization Limited.
In authorizing the corps this
time. the Commissioners specified
that its members would be eligible
for appointment as special police
in time of riot, public celebration
or other emergency or during the
existence of a state of war be-
tween the United States and a.
foreign power.
Corporation Counsel Vernon E.
West made it clear that members
of the reserve corps would have
no police powers under any other
conditions.
In his Reserve Corps General
Order No. l." Maj. Barrett listed
these duties for the corps:
l. The Reserve Corps shall, when
empowered by law, perform such
duties in connection with major
disasters or emergencies as the
commissioners and the police su-
perintendent determine.
2.-Reserve Corps members. un.
der supervision of precinct COM
manders, shall perform "the gen.
eral duties of the regular police
force; i. e., the prevention and de-
lection OF crime, the protection of
life and property and such en-
forcement, as may be directed by
the Major and Superintendent, of
the laws for which the Metro
politan Police Department is re-
sponsible, and such other duties
as may be directed, not inconsist-
ent with the law"
Membership Eligibility.
To be eligible for membership,
applicants must be citizens, Dis
trict residents, 81 to SIS years old,
at least 5 feet, 6 inches if they
are men and at least 5 feet if
they are women, of good mental
and physical health and excellent
character.
Before they can become mem
bers, they must fill out forms in
triplicate, get clearance on pos
sible criminal or traffic records,
get fingerprinted and photo
graphed, get checked by the FBI,
undergo an investigation of Char
acter and general suitability" and
pass physical given the the Board
Of Police and Fire Surgeons.
They will be trained in the re-
sponsibilities of a police officer,
discipline and conduct, police au-
thority and restrictions, tarffic
control, patrol methods, law of
arrests, the use of firearms if
arming of the Reserve Corps is
authorized, laws of evidence, the
criminal code, civil defense Or
ganlzation, Pathological safety
measures for atomic warfare and
police department organization.
Within the precincts, they will
be organized into squads of 70
privates and a sergeant and pla-
toons of four squads and lieu
tenant. All of them but the
platoon and squad leaders will
be privates.
AS far as practicable, precinct
officers were told to use the pla-
toons and squads as units.