Salt Lake Telegram | 1946-12-31 | Page 7 | Four Downtown Phones Readied for Police

Fo u r D own to wh Phones Readied for Police A forward step in efficiency and speed in law enforcement methods by Salt Lake City's police department depart-ment was to be inaugurated Tuesday Tues-day at 9 p.m. with the beginning of operations of four new police telephones installed at busy downtown down-town street corners. Police Chief L. C. Crowther announced an-nounced that the two-way street phones would primarily serve the city's street patrolmen, allowing them to place calls directly to headquarters, or to any telephone connection served by usual switchboards. switch-boards. Four additional telephones will be Installed by Friday, Chief Crowther aald, to bring the total to eight unlta In operation to begin the new year. More units will be Installed during dur-ing the coming months as the need becomes evident and the planned increase in the size of the street patrol force la realized. Units have been installed on Main atreet at 1st, 2nd arfi 3rd South, and 2nd South and West Temple, anJ additional units will be placed at those Intersecting streets on State, It was said. E. H. Morgan, police department superintendent of communications, said the project was believed to be the first of jits type attempted In this country, and said the auccess of the Salt Lake operations would determine its nation-wide adoption in other cities. The l-istrument, which reposes in a locked bright blue box at each-installation, each-installation, lis the same aa an ordinary or-dinary handset telephone. Esch street patrolman will be Issued a key to the boxes. Incoming calls at police headquarters will be handled han-dled on tha regular switchboard. Chief Crowther pointed out that the new system would msrk a considerable con-siderable saving In expense for maintenance1 and operation. The telephone company, he aald, will bear expenses of installation and maintenance, with the police department de-partment paying an approximate rental of $3 per month per unit