Evening star., 1950-09-12
Police 70 Begin
Recruiting for
Civil Defense
Barrett Soys Search
For Volunteers Will
Begin in Two Weeks

Police Chief Robert j. Barrett
said today the police force viii
start recruiting volunteers for it!
proposed new reserve corps with.
in the next week or two. 1t
Francis Pilkerton of the 18th
precinct will command the civil.
ian force.
The Commissioners gave the po.
lice reserve project a formal GO
ahead signal today when they is
sued an order establishing thu
corps but providing that the vol
unteers would have no police pow.
ers except in wartime.
In another move today. the city
heads turned down a proposal tx
silence sirens on police cars, f1r'
trucks and ambulances so they
could be used only to sound air.
raid alarms.
The Commissioners rejected The
siren ban on the urgent recon.
mendationS of Maj. Barrett. whC
feared it would result in accidents
and Fire Chief Joseph A. Mayhem
who argued it would slow dowr
trucks responding to fire alarms
1t was pointed out, however, thai
in case an emergency situation
arises, a siren ban could be put
into effect in a matter of minutes
via word over police and fire
radios.
Block WardenS Planned.
Meanwhile, there were these
other developments in civil de-
tense:
/. Police Inspector John E.
Fondahl. newly appointed acting
civil defense director for the Dis
trict, disclosed plans to set up a
system of volunteer block wardens
similar to the World War II
warden organization but with diff
ferent duties.
Committee began voting today or
the supplemental appropriation
bill which includes funds for Dis
triet civil defense. The House
approved a $4,000 appropriation
but the Commissioners have urged
the Senators to increase their civi.
defense budget to $3.50, 900.
8. w. Stuart Symington, di.
rector of the National Security
Resources Board, announced ir
Baltimore that an elaborate re.
port"-the long-awaited nationa,
civil defense plan-will be issued
next week.
Volunteers to Be Recruited.
Maj. Barrett's plan to swell the
Police Department by between
1000 and 5000 volunteers is the
first step toward recruiting and
training civil defense force.
Maj. Barrett said he hopes to
recruit enough volunteers to get
an ultimate proportion of five
volunteers to- every policeman in
the precincts and one volunteer
for every detective.
To start with, he said, so vol
unteers may be taken in at every
precinct. After they have been
trained, another so volunteers will
be brought in. Precinct COM
manders, he explained, will be re-
sponsible for seeing that their vol
unteers are trained.
Schooling Arranged.
Inspector Clarence o. Lutz, who
is in charge of police training
will be able to take over supervi-
sion of the volunteer training
after the present rookie schoo
graduates.
1t. Pilkerton, Maj. Barrett said
will be in charge of the force with
the rank of acting captain. Nov
second on the list for promotion
to captain, 1t. Pilkerton startee
rs private at the eleventh pre-.
cinct and has spent most of hi.
police career in that precinct.
Mai. Barrett emphasized the
volunteers will be a hand-pickec
group. They will have to take
their training or be dropped. he
said, pointing out that some Of the
auxiliary police of World War II
were given ranks without being
trained at all.
He said he wanted to put them
into uniform but no funds were
available for that. The only extrs
equipment the police have now
he said. are $500 badges and 2,00(
nightsticks left over from Worlc
War II auxiliary police supplies
The public, he said, will be fully
advised when the precincts ar,
ready to start accepting yolun'
teers.
The order issued by the Com
missionerS today revives the No
vember %, 1948, order which eS-
tablished a. police reserve corps
for use in time Of emergencies ano
civil disturbance. That order was
shelved when public opposition
arose to the project.
The new order carries two
amendments, one Stipulating thai
the volunteers must be District
residents. The other amendment
specifies that Outing the ex.
istence of state of war between
the United States and any for.
eign country or nation" the vol.
unteers would be eligible for ap.
pointment as special police.
Would Go at Own Risk.
1t was explained that the latte
provision means the volunteer
would be without police powers ex
cept in wartime. Inspector Fondah
repeatedly asked Corporation
Counsel Vernon West if the re
cruits could be sent out with pa
trolmen. He was told they coul
accompany police but only as OBJ
servers, without power of arrest
And they would go at their owl
risk.
I Despite these limitations, polio
officials explained today's orde
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