Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-23
Davis 10 Offer
Bill for Bigger
Police Force
Will Confer With
Chief Murray on
Exuct Need First
BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG


The key legislator dealing with
police and crime matters on the
House District Committee dis
closed yesterday he win intro
duce legislation in January tc
increase the size Of the Wash
ington police force.
Representative Davis. Demo
crat Of Georgia, chairman Of both
the House District Subcommittee
on police, fire, streets and trafac
and the special crime subcon1-
mittee. said he believed Congress
can be sold on a larger metro
politan police force.
He said the exact size Of the
proposed force win be deter
mined at conferences he plans to
hold with Police Chief Robert "
Murray when he returns to
Washington November /.
Turned Down
Chief Murray asked In his
fiscal 1857 budget requests for
the addition Of 222 men to bring
the force TO $500. The Commits
sioners have made 1t clear. how
ever, that they win not include
this request In the budget they
send to Congress.
MIR. Davis said he believed q
larger force could be attained
through legislation. He added
that the legislative and appro-
priations committees work to-
gether closely. He pointed out
that the pay raises in the last
session were approved by legis-
lative committees. They must
be financed BY action Of the APP
preparations committees early
next year.
The legislator said he was go
per cent in favor" Of going TO
Congress with the $500 fg-
ure because he respected the
organizations backing that fig-
ure. These include the District
Council on Law Enforcement.
the Washington Criminal Jus
tice Association, the Federation
Of Citizens Associations and
other groups.
Mr.. Davis acknowledged there
was q question as to how the
increased force could be paid for.
He said this means an increased
Federal contribution. The COM
missioners are asking Congress
to restore the 50 million cut
from the Federal contribution at
the last session.
Cost S1,01S,1S2
A 2,500-man force would cost
the District an additional 81, 01S,-
1872 for police services, including
salaries, uniforms and equipment
Of 222 men.
II have felt for quite a while. =
said Mr.. Davis. that the Dis
trict does not have an adequate
number of police to provide all
the extra services required Of the
Washington force and still fur
nish the needed protection Of
citizens from day to day.
II agree with Chief Murray
that he cannot continue to re-
duce crime without more men
For some time, I have real
lied that the force must. be en-
larged. ] plan to introduce a bill
to increase the authorized
strength and to explore the needs
at hearings early next year."
Mr.. Davis indicated that he
expected part Of the Congress
sional support for a larger force
to come from the performance OF
police In handling traffic during
the transit strike.
Cancelled Leaves
Chief Murray has said that he
had more men on the streets
during the transit strike because
all leaves were Cancelled. a
seven-day week was in effect
during the first weeks Of the
strike, and the men worked IL
hour days.
If that many men were on the
street all the time, through q
222-man increase in the force
he said more men could be as
signed at rush hour traffic bottle
necks while maintaining q full
force of men on the beats.
In his budget justification for
the increased force, Chief Muir
ray pointed out that during the
past fiscal year. with crime at
a new low here, there was q
criminal homicide every five
days, a rape every other day,
and three robberies. IL aggra-
waited assaults, nine housebreak-
ings, 81 larcenies and four auto
thefts every day.