Year: 1873

The Chief of Police OF Boston announces,
or at all events enunciates, a principle. Else
where a correspondent gives the leading fea-
lures of that functionary's annual report.
The keynote of the entire system-and 1t Is
claimed that the present police system OF
Boston is a new one-by which the criminal
classes are managed to the best advantage
may be expressed in formula: to diminish
crime, ii must be preuented We doubt whether
a clear apprehension of this idea ever before
broke upon the mind Of a police official.
| To effect arrests promptly and quietly has
| generally been regarded by chiefs of police as
the highest duty Of men in uniform. To step
behind the arrest and its possibility; to inter-
fere with the train of circumstances that leads
to crime, has never been laid down In this
city as tho regular business of anybody.
Crimes and criminals seem to be regarded by
our police officials as bad, but inevitable
natural growth. The Boston people dig up
the soil in which the weeds grow. The differ
ence is radical.


The first step in pursuance OF the Boston
method was the dismissal of detectives. This
was a natural sequence of the theory. Detec-
tves are expected to associate with criminals;
to keep in with the crime till ready TO expose
it. If the crime is to be prevented, the de-
tectives' occupation is gone. The Boston
Chief was assured that he could never dispense
with such services. He did, however, and
successfully Aside from thus avoiding
practices of questionable morality, new fea-
ture of management was rendered possible.
Citizens could be employed for special Occa-
sions to watch or recognize suspected persons,
without that possibility of recognition in turn
which so often defeats the efforts of a perma-
nent detective force. We have not space to
refer to the various devices by which the sys-
TEN of prevention was carried out. Its great
success was most evident during the
Jubilee, and afterward, during the great
fire occasions when vast increase
of crime might have been expected.
In fact adjoining cities offered police aid. but
Boston, as usual, declined outside help. The
new system was pushed to the utmost. A
large party of thieves and rOughs were on a
train approaching Boston during Jubilee days.
Warned by telegraph, the police prepared to
receive them, and also sent out men in citi-
zen's dress to meet them. Measures so
far in advance discouraged the invaders,
and they took return trains before
reaching the city. Both during the Jubi-
lee and the fire, crime was reduced to
minimum. The various departments of
police supervisioni to which the preventive
system was applied furnished great diversity
of details in proceeding, but none in results.
Women were kept back from joining the ranks
of prostitution, and were sent to their friends
or relatives in country places. Men were kept
back from strong drink-at least during the
fire-by closing the retail liquor stores. The
statistical result in the latter case was dimi-
mutton of drunkenness of fifty per cent for the
month


We hope we are not breaking one of the
commandments in envying Boston her police
management Could similar reforms be ef
fected in this city, we should have hopes of
the millennium. The millions Of money that
would be saved to our citizens would be even
less appreciated than the new sense of per-
sonal security. But is it impossible for us to
give the methods of prevention, at least in
mart q trial