Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-21
By n1IRIAM oTTENBERG

N0kAGQ o1tVuV L1o0f6 VI QUH0tk
overtime during the transi
strike. ofiicials estimated today
But their ordeal paid on in {
mutual understanding and re,
spect between police and public
that police oficials hope viii las
long after the strike is forgot.
ten.
What astonished the public
most about the effects Of The
transit strike was the smooth
flow Of traffic and the cheerful.
ness Of the men who kept il
smooth.
The trafic fiow stemmed from
a months advance planning anc
a day-to-day revision Of those
plans under test.
Cheerful Police
The cheerfulness Of police
through heat, rain and hurricane
was . product Of many things.
Police morale had hit bottom
in 1861. 1t has been rising evel
since. as reflected in fewer res
ignations from the force and q
sharp cut in the crime rate.
From the beginning Of the
strike, Police Chief Robert v.
Murray sent out bulletins Of
encouragement coupled with q
promise to the men that he
would do all he could to help
them get o pay raise and COM
pensation for the days on they
were losing.
Deputy Chief Howard v.
Coyell, executive ofiicer who
master minded much Of the adj
vance planning and police
operations under strike condi-
tons, believes another factor
contributed to police morale.
anybody responds to kind
ness" he said. "The public re-
ception was wonderful. It seemed
as though motorists were saying
to police, You've got q job to
do and we're going to help you.
There was more courtesy
among motorists than I've ever
seen. People didn't blow their
horns as much or get impatient
when the car in front Of them
didn't move as fast as they
thought it should. The motor
lists stayed in their lanes better,
too.
"Of course, in the relationship
between police and motorists.
there was a complete change
from the don't to the do
philosophy. Motorists were
waved through red lights and
allowed to park on streetcar
tracks and other places where
they had never parked before.
Il made them feel good"
Lons-Range Planning
The decisions that prompted
police to change to the do"
philosophy didn't just happen.
The planning ranged from
framing a recommendation for
the Commissioners to declare an
emergency to fitting out plain
clothesmen in cast-oh uniforms.
Police began making arrange
ments the first week Of June. The
executive Office started drafting
special orders amid fervent hopes
the orders would wind up on the
shelf.
There were orders to make
parking regulations at strike
conditions, orders to the various
police units and the Police
Training School to make rockies
and special duty policemen avail
able for traffic duties.
Orders were drafted to cancel
all leaves and days OF for the
duration, to set UP split shifts
for maximum police coverage at
the rush hours. to assign SPECIFIC
duties to all top officials during
the strike. A system was estab-I
iished for notifying motorists IN
the downtown area to leave their
names and telephone numbers
on Windshields so they could be-
notified to remove their cars as
soon as buses and street cars
started running.
A new DOS and Donts 1or
motorists was prepared. A list
Of transit company properties
was sent to precinct captains
with instructions to post onicers|
at the locations in event OF q
strike. 4
The inspector in charge OF
clothing. equipment and prop
erty was told to fnd the neces-
sary uniforms for plainclothes-
men going back into uniform for
the emergency. He was given a.
list of policemen who knew how
to operate cranes and was told
TO survey his crane force and
ask for more men, If necessary.
Murray's Plan
On June %. Chief Murray
asked the Commissioners TO de-
clare an emergency in case Of
strike, so he could suspend all
days on and annual leave. AT the
same time, he requested the
Commissioner to permit park
ing In some restricted areas II
. strike occurred.
The same day, q confidential
memorandum went to all COM
manding officers Of precincts and
bureaus. They were told there
might be O strike. Any leave
approved for after July /, the
commanding officers were ad-
vised, had to have . string at
tached - the policeman would
have TO return to duty within
eight hours of the announce
ment of Q strike.
That day, too, the deputy chief
in charge of traffic, the district
inspectors and the commanding
ofiicers of the downtown pre-
cincts were told to get together
and map out plans for trafficI
control, assignment Of police to
Intersections and emergency