Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1915 — New York Has Youngest Police Force in World [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New York Has Youngest Police Force in World

NEW YORK. —There is a unique organisation in the lower East side called the Junior Police. They are more than three hundred strong, and behind the organisation is every uniformed man of the precinct' With the cit] gov-

ernment In all Its power and majesty winning up |n the background. Some authority, as will doubtless he conceded. It Is the youngest police force In the world, Individually speaking, this band of enthusiastic youngsters. And it’s getting results. For Instance, the regular police say that since the Inauguration of the venture street bonfires have been reduced in the district 98 per cent, complaints of disorderly street gatherings have been cut to less than half, street cleaning has

been lightened, garbage cans kept in order, juvenile cigarrette smoking made unpopular and a Juvenile millennium all hut inaugurated. The boy “policemen” go on patrol duty on the heats assigned to them immediately after leaving school, and pound the pavements for “sessions” varying from one to two hours a day. They keep a sharp lookout for obstructed fire escapes on the different buildings, inspect the garbage cans, make notes of the condition of the sidewalk, keep pushcart men in line, and, in fact, do pretty much the same things that a regular policeman is expected to do in the performance of his duty. Any infringement of the rules of the force, which are largely paraphrased from the most commonly violated ordinances of the city, are called to the attention of those responsible for them, and If remedial steps aro not forthcoming the matter is reported to the regular police and a regular sent out to force compliance. The merchants and most of the other residents of the precinct have learned that a boy polipeman is not to be trifled with on matters conflicting with the laws of the city, and a simple request is usually enough to bring about the desired change. As a result the precinct Is cleaner now that it has been for years, lawlessness is on the wane, and the work of the regular police reduced to a minimum.