Police

3774

Police

Early police conditions in the United States
were similar to those existing in England.
Watchmen and constables were the sole reli-
ances for peace and protection. This system
proved unsatisfactory, and in 1840 an attempt
was made in New York City to reform the po-
lice system, which resulted eventually in es-
tablishing a force modelled on the Metropoli-
tan Police of London. Philadelphia reorgan-
ized her police force on the English model in
1850, and the example of these two cities has
been followed so generally that almost every

ers. There are also numerous bureaus, which
include squads on automobiles, pawnshops.
vice, homicide, health, narcotics; also an air
squad, and four entirely new squads added
to the force in 1931: alien, radical, bond and
midtown jewel,—all operating in civilian
clothes. There are over nineteen thousand
policemen on the force and police expendi-
tures exceed $60,000,000 per annum.

Rural police protection in the United States
is exceedingly inadequate. The first attempt
to establish a distinctly State police seems to

Mounted Police^ New York City.

city in the United States has an organized po-
lice force uniformed and professional in char-
acter. In American cities the police force is
organized either under a single head known
as a commissioner or superintendent, or under
a board or committee, usually bi-purtisan. Un-
der the superintendent or board are the chief
of police, captains, lieutenants, sergeants,
roundsmen, and patrolmen. In the larger cities
a separate detective bureau and a criminal
identification bureau, called the rogues' gal-
lery, are maintained; there arc also sanitary
squads, traffic squads, mounted police, bicycle
squads, and policewomen.

In New York City the police force is organ-
ized under a Police Commissioner, appointed
by the Mayor for 5 years; under him, and ap-
pointed by him, are six deputy commission-

have been made in Massachusetts in 1865,
when a small force of State constables was ap-
pointed mainly to enforce the law in regard
to the liquor traffic. The Pennsylvania State
Police, consisting of four troops with a numer-
ical strength of 330 men and officers, was or-
ganized in December, 1905; these men have
all the powers of a municipal police as well as
being fire, fish, game, and forestry wardens, fa
1917 a New York State police was established
with an organization founded on that of the
Royal Northwest Mounted Police of Canada
and the State Constabulary of Pennsylvania.
The Texas rangers, organized in 1901, the
Arizona rangers, in 1903, and the New Mexico
mounted police, in 1905, are appointed by the
governors of the respective States and do vali-
ant duty in protecting the Mexican border.