Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-08
Senator Butler Endorses
Drive for More Police
Continued From First Page

circumstances, he said. THE de-
partment desperately needs more
men to provide adequate pro-
lection to the residents and
thousands of visitors to WASH
ington. The present crime stu
alton in the Nations Capital is
a national disgrace and it should
shock Congress out of a COM
placent attitude toward Wash
ington problems. incidentally.
these problems affect many
Marylanders and Virginians who
work here"
He said that two measures
should be taken as quickly as
possible. District judges should
get tough" and start handing
out the stiffest sentences posi-
Bile under the law, he declared.
AS the second measure, he urged
that Congress Immediately in
crease the Metropolitan police
force to $500 men "or as many
men as necessary to break Wash
lngton'S after-dark crime wave"
He called attention to the Sem
ate District subcommittee hear
lns at 10 am. this Wednesday
on the House-passed bill to in
crease the police force to not
less than $500 men and said he
would support this worthy OBJ
jective. He also said that as a
member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee. he will do everything
he can to encourage the imposi-
ton of maximum penalties in
District of Columbia courts.
Protection Strained
Chief Murray gave this inter-
probation of the emergency
measures found by The Star in
its survey:
I'VE have had to weaken pro-
lection in some areas to
strengthen it in others to meet
a special crime situation. The
citizens deserve equal protection.
AT this time. we cannot give it
to them.
When We take motorcycle
men off accident prone streets
and put them on crime details.
we are increasing the danger of
accidents. However. l do want
to emphasize that wherever they
patrol, the motorcycle men are
on the alert for speeders and
other moving violators.
When We take men out of
the Morals Division and put
them in cruisers to catch hold
up men, we are weakening our
attack on vice and the crime
it breeds.
When crime conditions in the
precincts necesSitate special
beats. We are exposing other
neighborhoods.
When we concentrate on GER
tain days and certain hours, it
must be done at the expense of
our regular patrols. We are
spread too thin to do otherwise.
Extra Police Effective
The Star survey showed nu-
merous cases where police on
the street as the result of the
special measures taken have
caught criminals either in the
act or less than an hour later.
AS the precinct captains pointed
out, there is no way of knowing
how many potential crimes in
any given area didn't occur be-
cause of the presence of a uni
formed man patrolling the street.
Here are some of the cases
brought out in The Star survey:
In the Ninth Precinct, Capt.
Lewis B. Peters maintains a spot
map of crime in his Northeast
section. Thus. when rockies are
loaned to him from the training
school to walk the beats on the
nights OF greatest crime, he
studies his map and puts the
men. in pairs or with veterans
on the streets where his map
shows him crimes occur most
frequently.
Thus. two rookie policemen.
James L. Reayis and Charles E
Merrigan. were only a block
away when a 60-year-old man
was yoked and robbed in the
300 block of Eleventh street
NE. at 10 pm. on February IL.
They saw the victim lying on the
ground and colored man stand
ing over him. The minute the
yoke-robber spotted them run
ring toward him. he fed through
an alley.
One Of the rockies followed
him into the alley. The other
dashed around the block to head
him off, He missed MN at the
exit of the first alley but kept
up the chase. The rockies caught
the fugitive as he came out OF
an alley on Thirteenth street.
Outguessing the criminal with
recruits loaned on high CRIME
nights also paid off in the Ninth
Precinct on the night of March