THEE-PREVENTION OF CRIME

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 20

THEE-PREVENTION OF CRIME

A plan for the reorganisation oi' Philadelphia's detective bureau has just been ordered with a view to preventing crime rather than to dovoting all its energies to'apprehending criminals after the crime has been committed, says tho "Christian Scienco Monitor." Tho reorganisation calls for the establishment of various divisions, assigned to specific duty, the retirement of a group of detectives deemed unsuited for tho reorganised service, the return to patrol service of another group more qualified for unifoiln than plain clothes service, tho general raising of standards' of detective requirements by the. abolition of first and second grade detectivos, and the placing of the entire bureau on a parity basis with equal rank and pay. The reorganisation plans, made by L. E. Schofield, director of public safety, involve a "division ot crime prevention," which is virtually a bureau of public education designed to inform bank employees, payroll messengers, banking establishments, and other business agencies which have been the subject of banditry attacks, as to the approved methods'of. preventing hold-ups and robbories. Eepresentatives of the division will visit tho large establish^ ments and give instruction in crime prevention, in tho handling of money, urging that wherever possible payrolls consist of cheques instead of cash, and furnishing business houses with police information on the habits and methods of known criminals.

AMERICAN CITY'S METHODS

Mr. Schofield said that many robberies and hold-npa aro proventablo by the uso of simple precautions on the part of payroll messengers and cashiers.

The best detectives will be retained at headquarters in the City Hall with tho exception of a group1 of "star" men who will visit the outlying districts from time to timo for the purpose of instruction, and to help unii'y the system. . ■ • ■ ■

Tho Schofield plan embraces: A correspondonce division, charged with responsibility of headquarters roi- tJne; criminal identification, Bortillon bureau and photography; division of crime prevention; divisions of homicid-, banditry, missing persons, narcotics, automobile thefts, and business fraud.

Tho latter division, regarded as one of the most important in the reorganisation, the bureau will co-operate with tho Better Business Bureau, credit associations, retail merchants, and other1 similar commercial groups. During the last year tnero has been a decided decrease in crime under the Schofield administration of ' police affairs, particularly with regard to tho closing of speakeasies and general prohibition enforcement, in which the city, State, and Federal Government enforcomont agencies aro in close accord. In thia connection tho police were given increased authority by a recent court decision refusing to enjoin them from investigating shipments of perfumes, hair tonics, and other preparations having a large alcoholic content.