The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1952-07-31
Elmer Munshower
Is Kiwanis Speaker
Superintendent OF State Police
Describes Operation Of His De
partment.

SSSAAONo OPCEdAOhE vi NAAo OC-
partment.
Elmer Munshower, Superinten-
dent of the Maryland State Police,
speaking at the weekly luncheon
meeting of the Kiwanis Club at the
Hotel Alexander Thursday, told his
audience that he was not sold on
the State Inspection of automobiles,
for the simple reason that records of
his department showed clearly that
by far the largest number of acct
dents on the highways were caused,
not by old cars that might have one
light out, or fender or two dented,
but by the modern, highspeed cars
whose drivers were not obeying the
traffic laws.
Because of this, Mr.. Munshower
said that he did not believe the heavy
expense of setting up and maintain
ing State Inspection stations would
be warranted.
The meeting was presided over by
president Albert M. Long, and the
speaker introduced by Robert Fleigh,
chairman of the Club Extension Com
mittee. Visitors present were. Harry
Hodges, Hagerstown; Marvin Reech-
er, Tulsa, Okla; Trooper F/C X. H.
Tichnell, Maryland State Police; and
Kiwanian w. M. Weaver, Frederick,
Md.
Mr.. Munshower stated that with
the exception of 1914, the year 1851
was the worst, insofar as accidents
were concerned, since the Depart
ment was organized back in the days
of Governor Ritchies's administra-
ton, following the robbery at the
Sandy Spring Bank, when one of it's
directors was shot by the robbers.
Touching on the causes of traffic
accidents and fatalities, the speaker
| stated that the number one cause was
speed, followed, in order, by trying
to pass cars without sufficient safe
clearance, and passing in no passing
zones.
In connection with speeding, the
speaker made the astounding state
ment that more soldiers are killed
lin traffic accidents on the highways
of the nation than on the battlefield.
The reason for this tragic situation,
he said, was that the boys in service,
when on leave, wanted to spend as
much time as possible at home, with
the result that they Travelled at high
speed going from and returning to
camp. He emphasized his point by
telling Of recent smash-up when
two cars, filled with soldiers on leave,
crashed head on, killing eight of
them.
! Answering the often put question,
how many officers are on the State
/ force?" Mr.. Munshower said that
there are a total of 261, with 204 of
them available for field duty. En-
larging on this, the speaker added
that these 204 men have to cover an
area of 10000 miles, over which
nearly 737, 900 motor vehicles travel,
Breaking this down even further,
Mr.. Munshower pointed out that the
area covered by the II troopers who
work out of the Frederick station,
which has Jurisdiction from Fred
erick to Cumberland, is $500 miles,
approximately $50 miles per man,
when, to do real job of protecting
the lives of motorists and pedestr-
ians, the troopers should not have to
cover more than an area of 35 miles.
! This, he explained, was the reason
Hagerstown motorists often drive
from Hagerstown to Frederick with
out seeing trooper on the road.
Summing up, Mr.. Munshower
stated that while modern means of
communication has helped his force
immeasurably in experimenting vio-
lators of the States traffic laws and
getting convictions in the lower
courts, too many offenders appeal
their convictions to the higher courts,
where the cases are often tried by
juries. Because of this, he appealed
to the members of the club, who
might, from time to time, be called
for jury duty, to weigh carefully the
evidence presented by the officers
who make the arrests, not just for
the sake of making them, but inorder
to protect the lives of motorists and
pedestrians who use the highways.