Making and
Maintaining
Metropolitan Police Force
X COLONIAL Mines uml tin- du.s fol
low Ink the revolutionary war polio
men were so vastly different In every
respect from twentieth century
guardians of the pence that It Is
dllllfult to realize the process made
In the nieihocls of protecting life mid
property. Governor Peter Stuyvesant of
New Netherlands, which Is now a part of
Greater New York, was at the head of the
llrst regulurl organized police force In
America. From the Dutch governor's
force of six old men, attired In nondo
st rlpt clothing, to the modern metropolitan
police organization, Is Indeed a far cry.
Stui dy old l'eter of the wooden leg pre
pared In lO.'iO for n crusade against the
liquor saloons by organizing a police force
of six men. They were on duty at night
atid marched about the streets sounding the
rattles with which they were equipped and
yelling hourly: "lly the grace of God, 2
o'clock, In peace." Hesldes keeping a
sharp eye on the ruin sellers, It appears
that "the rattle watch" also got busy oc
casionally In other ways. The police rec
ords of that time show that "two boys
were at rested for shouting after Indians
In l'carl street," an incident which In
dicates that the little Dutchmen were quite
ns mischievous as young America. Tho
policemen were also required to round up
the hogs with which tho city was Infested,
as tho rooters committed great damage
to the fortillcatlous.
It was not until M'.t.'l that tho llrst uni
formed policeman appeared in the streets
of New York. lie was armed with u boll
and u formidable looking ax. Ills uniform
O.MAMA POLIOH FOHOH HHADY FOR 1 N SPICCiiON,
These old "lenthorhoads" were subject to
very little discipline anil were anything
hut Imposing or athletic. Should one
attempt to make an arrest he was either
very roughly handled or led u long and
fruitless chase, in the course of which he
was sure to meet with many ludicrous
mishaps. lie was, In fact, unable to pro
tect himself, let alone guarding citizens
anil property. The young bloods of those
days took liberties with them which no
modern youth. If he valued his head and
health, would dare take with one of the
"lines! " It was a common occurrence
to play rough practical jokes upon the
poor, old Inoll 'iislve "leatht rheads " Their
for every appoltitmeut, must start with the
necessary set of papers, one of which Is an
application, another a personal statement
and the third a physical examination blank.
Tho llrst document Is mi appll'atlou of live
citizens to the board for the app ilntnieni.
These citizens declare under oaih that the
applicant "Is a man of good moral charac
ter, orderly In his deportment and not In
any icspect a violator of law or good or
der, that he Is a man of sober, temperate
and industrious habits and not addicted to
tho habitual use of intoxicating drinks or
other hurtful excess;-' that they have never
seen him "drunk, or known or heard of his
having been drunk, nor of Iws having been
guilty of or arrested for any criminal or
disorderly conduct or act," that he "Is a
man of truth ami Integrity, of sound mlml.
of good understanding and of temper,
habits and manners lit fi r a policeman "
r.xteitNlvc IVi'niiiiii I r.Miinlniitlon.
The applicant must set forth his pedigree
fully lu n personal statement, lie must
UN1-: OK TUB PATHOL WAGONS AND CHL
wns "a coat of yo cltty livery, with a badge
of ye cltty annus, shoes and stockings."
Tho cost of nil this paraphernalia was
charged "to yo account of yo cltty." Llko
his Dutch predecessors, ho was required to
nnnouucu tho hour nud also the stato of
tho weather. He rang his bell and
cl.nnted lustily something llko this: "Past
1 o'clock, and a dark and cloudy morn
ing." The highest wages paid to police
men lu New York up to the closo of tho
Revolutionary war was $5.25 per week.
Tho same general conditions provalled In
tho few other cities which hnd pollcemon.
.tiny lln I'.lirneil Hie .Xiiiiic.
During tho llrst hnlf of the last cen
tury tho pollco were known as "leather
heads," n nickname which nroso from tho
fact that thry wore leather hats, some
thing like an old-tlmo volunteer flremnn's
holinet, with a broad brim behind. Twico
a year these hats received a. thick coat
of varnish, and after a tlino thoy became
almost ns hard and as heavy ns Iron.
severe. The applicant must be between
the ages of Jo and IU years and weigh at
least K.O pounds, lu recent years the title
has I'cci: adopted Unit no one under sis
feet nut In accepted anil the acraiv
height Is six feel two inches. Many. If not
nil, of the physical Incompetents hae been
weeded nut since .Mayor .Monies has been
chairman of the board, and the force stands
second to none in this as lu other re
spects. When the application papers are filed
with the secretary of the board an Invest I
gallon Is made and, if satisfactory, the
upplicnut Is appointed by the board as a
patrolman, lie Is required to furnish a
$1.11110 surety bend for the faithful perform
ance of his duty. Formerly personal bonds
were ncceplnl, but abuses became frequent,
as some bcinlstneti, especially politician
and saloi u keepers, insisted thai the pa
Irelimn win under obligations to thorn
l.i'lli'HN Vluell on the Hen I
The new patrolman reports to the chief
The pay of a patrolman Is $70 per mouth
for twelve hours work dally complete
uniform and mil lit . which the otllcer must
buy. costs nearly $l."in. The city furnishes
the star and the brass bullous. Kacli pa
troluian. when sick or disabled, Is entitled
to participation ill the fund of the Metro
polltau Police Relief association, composed
exclusively of the members of the dcpait
nienl. At the pieseut lime Ibis fund Is lu
Hue condition and stands as a protector to
the policeman's family lu lime of giealesl
need.
After years of service the patrolman may
bo appointed to the detective force, If he
has shown ability at that kind of work
Tin n ho will receive mule pn, have mote
liberty and no uniform to buy. The wa
Is open. too. for iul oiiecuiciil to the rank
if sergeant, with added pn and respousl
billlv and ftnm thcic ton captaincy Kven
the chlefshlp is within reach of a patrol
man made if the tight sort of stulf for
less than tin vents ago Chief Douahiii wn
watch boxes were lassoed with a stout rope
and dragged through the streets by a
crowd of exuberant youths, while the
watchman Insldo yelled loudly for help.
The only Insignia of olllco which thesu old
fellows had, besides tho leather helmet,
wan a big cloak and n club, mid nt night
thoy also rarrlcd a lantern.
Sjfilem Wurl.H Wniiilcrn.
Tho years which have passed have
wrought many changes In pollco methods,
ns In everything else. It is only since tho
civil wnr that tho metropolitan pollco sys
tem has been perfected. This system Is
used in nil cities of tho country which have
up-to-dato pollco departments. The mak
ing of a policeman under this system Is a
nioro or less complex matter, depending en
tirely iiiion the characteristics of tho man
who desires to become nil olllcer. He has
ninny requirements to meet and he mint be
possessed of lino physique, common si nso
and a good character.
The ma u who wants to be an Omaha po
liceman, and there nre dozens of applicants
LISTENING TO MAYOR MOORKS' CONGR ATI'LATIONS
answer nearly forty direct and searching
questions In his own handwriting and maid
oath that the answers nro true. There tiro
questions relating to previous military and
pollco experience. If ho has ever been dis
charged from either service or refused ap
pointment, ho must tell why. Ho must also
answer this, "Have you over paid, or prom
ised to pay or give, tiny money or other
consideration, to any person, directly or In
directly, for any aid or lulluenco toward
procuring your appointment?" Ho must
also tell why ho wishes to bo omo a police
man. Questions concerning olltleal or ro
liglous beliefs nro not asked.
Tho physical examination Is mudo by the
city commissioner of health nud Is quite
of police mid Is assigned to duty. I'sually
he Is put to work with an old olllcer that
ho may learn the many and varied duties
required of a policeman. Kxpeiietiee, how
ever, Is tho best teacher and It Is a fact
that after a new policeman Is once as
saulted by a gang of toughs he knows how
to take care of himself ever after. Ho
learns, too, that honesty is the hcHt policy,
ami that the policeman who thinks he can
take a iptlet sleep or a little nip because
he doesn't see the sergeant watching him
Is hound to be up before the hoard sooner
or Inter and receive a dlslunornblo dis
charge. No olllcer can long remain on tho
pollco force unless he attends to his duties
faithfully nud carefully
walking a heal in Oinalia. Captains Her and
Hayes and all of the sergeants also came
up from tint ranks.
Tho loc of the modern policeman Is not
one of unalloyed bliss, lie IIiiiIh "his ca
pacity for Innocent enjoyment Is qultu as
great as any other man's," but he has
less opportunity to exercise It. Ills In
coming and outgoing are regulated by the
most stringent of codes. Not only Is ho
required to report to the central pollco
operator every thirty minutes during the
twelve hours he Is on duly, but ho Is re
quired to bo within call during tho twelve
hours he Is off. Frequently tho exigencies
of the nervlce compel him to put In ns
many ns eighteen or twenty hours work.
INRPHCTINO ARMS AND KQl'IPM HNT
INSPKGTING THIS DKTUOTIVHS.