13 Law Enforcemenl and '.. •••:••'..••• , -^ •;;.-,:V • ' ••:••••.•• •..:•.••••-/••• •'•• ^^"- • THE STATEWIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES* X RIME repression and traffic law en­ In the field of crime repression and G forcement continue'to stand out as prevention ,.the load thrust upon the the two major responsibilities of state state ^enforcement agencies has been es-; law enforcement agencies, but the impact pecraily burdensome. Counted among of the War is evidenced in every phase the/newer and pressing responsibilities of their activities. In the field of motor during 1912 were the protection of in­ vehicle traffic, the war effort has required dustrial areas, combatting of subversive especial attention to such important activities, training of auxiliary personnel, problems as the movement of fnen and . and the maintenance of an ever watchful niatenals to and from war plants and eye over the rising tide of crime and supply depots, the escort of military cara­ juvenile delinquency.^ These and many vans, the planning of convoy routes, -the of motor vehicle equipment, the replacement study' of evacuation areas in the event' and repair of which becomes a critical problem of disaster, and the enforcement of the because of priorities and scarcity of materials. gasoline and tire rationing programs.' The above data was supplied through the cour­ Above all Iqomcd the critical problem tesy of the National Safety Council. 3 Xake the situation in West Virginia as an ex­ of combatting injuries, accidents and ample. During the biennium, July I. igjb-June deaths on the highways—a problem which 30, 1912, the state police travelled^ ' t.9% miles 'struck at the heart of the war effort.^ and enSployed 919 man hours in assisting selec­ tive service i)oards; 4,984 miles and .joG man 1 Attention directed to convoying of military hours in assisting sugar, and gasolincl rationing caravans is. illusbative of the war load. The . boards; 27,780 miles and 4,630 man hours in ifi- Connecticut State Police averaged G15 convoys ternal security investigation: 12,61/', miles and per month in 1942, the Pennsylvania Motor Po­ 1,927 man hours in civilian defense activities. In lice 300," the, Klaisachusetts State Police 170. Maine, the State Bureau of Identification as­ Members of the California Highway Patrol tra­ sumed the' principal responsibility for finger­ velled about 57^^000 miles per month in convoy printing all members of the civilian defense, duty, those of the Florida .Highway Patrol :ap- corps. .Some 22,000 fingerprints were taken. In piroximately 40,000' miles. From the meinoran- Ohio, the State Highway Patrol launched^acom- dura of Edward J. Hickey, Chairman, State and . prehensive trajning program which included Provincial Section, International Association of training of plant guards, in 1G2 war industries, • Chiefs, of Police, to state police executives, dated trainiifg of civilian and police personnel in emer­ January rg. 1943. • V gency police duties~in 74 cities and. towns, and :'2This is evidenced by the crippling toll of giving motor corps unit and. safety driving in­ deaths, injuries,.and accidents during 1942. Esti­ struction in 34 cities. More, than 2,000. investiga­ mates now available count deaths over the na­ tions per month were made for the FBI by the tion at 27,800, non-fatal injuries at 1,000,000 • state police in California, Illinois. Maine, Massa­ .(about 8oi,ooo persons were left permanently in­ chusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Alexico, Penn- jured), and accidents involving only property sylvania; Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. damage at 4,170,000. The hyin evils of this situa­ \ • Prepared tjy David Geeting Monroe, Interna­ tion in relation to the war effort are obvioiis: tional As.sbciation of Chi^ of Police, Safety Divi­ loss of man-hour time in war production and loss sion,. Evanston, Illinois.' 273 ^•\ 274 THE BOOK OF THE iSTA TES • tf other activities have created an enormous respect to the serving of civil processes.^ drain on men and materials, and account As many officials had anticipated, the for many of the shifts and changes in inanpowc^" problem became a distressing police organization and proccdihes which isr>ue of first magnitude during the year, occurred during the year. Members of. the state police and highway The situation wit^ reference to the patrols are exceptionally vulnerable to authority, exercised by the various state military service because of their low avr enfprc-enient' agencies remained more or erage age and their aboyc-averagc physi- less static during 1942. A majority of cal coiiclition. As of October 1, 1942, for the departments (31) of the 48). cohtin- example, 16 per cent of the personnel in ued to operaie under broad authorities, the 17 departments for which informa- permitting enforcement of both criminal Vtion is avaflable was alieady in the armed and motor vehicle laws. Thirteen de- keJivices and 58 per cent^^if the remaining partments continued to be con.stricted to personnel was under ^35 5|?ars of age and enforcement of niotor vehicle laws only.* thus immediately sid)ject fe) military call.'' But, as a rule, most 6t the departments Added to the pr.oblemof losses to the which were authorized to enforce the armed services was ,the difficulty of ob­ criminal laws did not regularly and com­ taining replacements, The experience of pletely exercise sudi powers except as die Texas pepariment of Public Safety they relatecl'to special war problems is typical.. Ordinaiily, 700 ()r more candi- Police activities centered principally in dates can be counted upon to apply for the field of traffic law enlorccment. As in entrance examinations for the police serv­ previous years, the carrying on of a va­ ice. Only 130 applicants were available riety of regulatory atl ivities remainefl the for the 1942 summer examination; and responsibility of many other slate agen­ their physical and mental caliber was cies ojserating independently of the state definitely below previous levels, In:view: police departnients or liighway patrols.^ of the strate;gic position which state po­ . Jurisdictionally, siatejividc enforcement lice agencies occiipy in the enforcement continued about the same. The invesli- field and their exceptional usefulness in gation'and enforcement of criminal laws times of war and crisis, the situation is within municipalhies was enjoinedordi- ' one which is'fraught with the greatest narily, save when a state officer wit- . danger," nessed a crime perpetrated within the Diiferences in the areas of the various municipal limits, or was in pursuit of a states, their, population, road mileage, fif. violator or suspected, violator, or was nancial resources, and ideologies regard- . calledn])on for 'assistance by municipal jng enforcement continue to emphasize, authorities or the govcnior. Similarly, major variations in the . numerical-," legislative provisions which prohibited utilization of state ciiforcement agencies fi yV'ith respect to authority aiid jurisdiction of in industrial disputes were continued. the state agencies consult State-and Pwvijicial Police, hy David Geeting Monroe (Evanston, Illi­ This Was likewise i!rue, as a rule, with nois, i<):ii),Ch. 11. ' .t •f From the Report of Commissioner Edward J. ••Sec tabic-on page 277^ - • Hickey, Chairman. o£/,the State and Provincial 5\i\inong these regulatory activities are: fish Section of the Internaiipnal./Vssociation of Chiefs and game control, forestry and plant quarUiitine, of Police,'to Nfajor'GeiierarXllen W. Gullfdn, ~ housing inspection, narcotics control, factory \in(i Provost Nfai-shal General, United States Army, workshop inspection, and food inspection. I'ITC dated October 31, 1942, pp. 12-14. number of agencies involved iii these activities in 8 Knfoixcinent bj' the state police ^d highway each state varies from one to twenty-five or niore. |)atrols is; unique in many respects. TheV alone Some agencies arc mere fact findin3|Snnes whose operate throughout, the territorial jurisdiction of principal task is that of gathering and analy/in.g their respective states; their organization and dis­ statistical inforination. Others, and these arc \\\ cipline are quasi-military and membci-s arc'sub- the majority, ;\*;e actively engaged in forms of ject to call.throughout the 24-.hour period; fheir activity which rc(f<iire the services of inspectors, membei-s possess strategic knowledge of the geog- • special investigators.-and the like. Indications raphy of .their jurisdictions; they have ihe^ad-. are that employees of such agencies outiniinber vantage of elfective statewide comminiicatiori sys-- the state police and highway patrol personnel in tems and record devices which,are immeasurably a majority of states. hnportant aids to enforcement. ' . •V t LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TRAFFIC SAFET}\ 275 strength of the various statewicle depart­ of police^personnel, the upward swing' ments. In all, these departments em­ toward enlargement of state police forces z ployed.9,271 police personnel and 2,209 was appareiU in nearly all tlcpartments, -civilian personnel, or a total of '11,480." This made possible ainore intensive Distribution of departments according to territorial coverage—a coverage possible their numerical strength was as follows: in large measure only by increased, adop- •; tion of. motor v'ehicle and communica'/" DisrRinuTioN OF POI.ICK STRENGTH OF ST.vrE\viDF. tion facilities. As (if March, 1941, for . I DKPARTMENTS ; » • example, the number of patrol cars .Of • Police Ntimljcrof. Per Cent Personnel-. Departments , - ofTotal the statewide departmt'nts totalled ab(5ut Less than/;-,(). 8 !7 .4,700. Two years later (March, ,:i'943) 50 to 99.,.;..,....; 11 . .23 the nuniber exceeded 6,400, or a gain of . 100.to 199........... iG 33 200 to 299........... 5 n roughly 1,700 patrolcar iihits.'VtJnques- 300 to 399........... 3. ^ () tionably, however, gains have levelled 400 to .199 2 j 4 .off in iecentmonths due to priority and /J - 500 to 999 2 1 - -1 other war difficidtie.s. In the use of mo­ 1,000 and over , 1 27 torcycles, decline is also, in evidence.