Show Keen Detective Work Proves Worth in in Apprehending Cowardly Motorists Steps in a run hit investigation Left Investigator T T. T W. W r Southworth removes mud from a suspected automobile for laboratory checking Right Captain E. E A. A Hedman liedman checks o f r s 's markin markings s s on coat of a hit run hit run accident victim Lower official x police photo of a car that figured in a run hit fatality with arrow showing where victim left fingerprints in grabbing at fender i 1 i. i I J I i TI S r i a d kf r zY e 44 6 4 S S S S K t r s r 4 h f Y gg if Iii L r y x 3 Pf Me Mer r r N w e i 7 A w n nf f t P wig 9 S d S. S t Ky 4 e 5 v vat ss ro a ar r y y yA A by 4 or 4 y f n Salt Lake Police Declare War Warn On n Despised Run Hit-Run Driver river The Salt Lake police department has declared war on the run hit-run driver Its It's not a war of strategic withdrawal or reforming lines but ut is strictly one of aggression against the most despised and the hardest to catch of of all traffic offenders New laws plus intensive investigation in investigation investigation in- in methods involving technique used in tracking down the Jie person who uses a gun to commit commit commit com com- mit a crime have made it tougher for the person who hits and runs Records of the police department department department depart depart- ment show that in 26 run hit-run cases now on the books there have been 22 arrests Time was when the runner hit-runner if f he was caught and hadn't killed anyone could get off by appearing appearing appear- appear I ing ng in police court and receiving a aIne afine afine fine Ine or a e. comparatively light jail I term erm Things have been changed The new Utah traffic coc co coin 3 makes itan itan it itan an indictable mis mis' mis' mis meanor to drive away fro from an accident if it injury has been caused Chances Slight How investigation facilities have been turned against the run hit-run driver whose whoso chances of escape escape escape es es- es- es cape now are less than ever before before before be be- fore 1 best is js told by a recent case in the files of the police de de- de- de The time was after dark A pedestrian was crossing a west westside westside westside side street A car bore down upon him struck him full force After the impact the car swerved a bit struck a That was to tell a story later The pedestrian lay dead in the street Police found it was a task for forthe the run hit-run investigator Patrolman T. T W. W Southworth a veteran traffic accident Investigator investigator investigator gator assigned to the run hit-run investigation investigation investigation in in- in- in detail took over the case in the line of his r routine du du- du- du ties Police Find Auto Police then received a report that an automobile was parked on onan onan an east side street with with its motor running at high speed as though the accelerator were depressed Investigation showed that this automobile bore marks of having been in an accident A man Inside the car with his foot depressed on the accelerator was taken into custody on a charge of drunken drunken- ness He apparently had passed out inside the car Investigation showed that someone someone someone some some- one other than the occupant of the car had driven the machine 3 However the main thing is that police investigation showed that this automobile was the one that struck and killed the pedestrian To begin with there was mud on the front bumper of the car Mud Removed Some of this mud was removed from the bumper and taken to the police laboratory for comparison with a sample of mud taken from the accident scene Checking showed that the two samples of mud were similar When the killer killer- car plowed up into the bank it picked up a tell-tale tell bit of mud There was another step An overcoat worn by the victim of ot the accident bore some imprints I on the back imprints made by some object against which the overcoat had been pressed More findings The victims victim's overcoat had dirt smudges These smudges were compared in the laboratory with dirt found on the side of the suspected car More Evidence Found lound And as more mor evidence the suspected suspected suspected sus sus- car showed that some object object object ob ob- ob- ob had brushed along its side first on the left front fender then the left side and the left rear fen fender r. r Near the parking light on the left front fender was found a smudge on the covering of dirt a smudge that might have been left by a hand grasping for a hold Fingerprints were found on this smudge mudge These prints tallied with those of the victim Conclusion That the victims victim's hand clutched at atthe atthe atthe the parking light in an effort to seek a handhold while the victim was being thrown along the side of the car And more mor Bits of coat fabric were found on the radiator grill of the car They corresponded to fabric of the victims victim's overcoat Investigator Southworth submitted submitted submitted sub sub- the evidence to the county attorneys attorney's office and signed two complaints one charging hit- hit run driving one charging Involuntary Involuntary involuntary tary manslaughter The defendant defendant defendant defend defend- ant pleaded guilty to the latter the first was dismissed Result The driver of the death car now is serving a year one-year term in the county jail Its It's getting tougher for the driver who hits and runs away |