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Show mammmmmmmmmm newspaper ncponTens WHO AUK POLICDMBN. A I1lniil Town Wlir 2Vwi(ll,r,n Ara (lnvdln or th l'ernrA jc I'raftlniUf Ne trim aa Tutlf llfa ft Common m. (St Joseph, Mo, Mttei,) fllKN a man refu. to Anawer a question aiked by a newspaper reporter re-porter In tbl elly he may be arretted and taken to th police tallon. The reporter may call the patrol wagon and send th offending of-fending el t lien there It he feels Inclined to do ao. The reporters are all iHillccnirn, A short time ago the police commissioners gav all the reporter oommlMlons, vetting ihem with tho right to wear alar and carry club and with all th power ot the patrolmen. Tho reporter report-er are not expecteM to perform any of tho work of the patrolmen, of course, anil they do net draw salaries from the city, but they are peace officers offi-cers and can make arrest. While th experiment has not been given a thorough thor-ough trial, the pollr commissioner believe It will prove a success. Several Sev-eral of the reporters have, already made nrreeta In tho absence of the regular patrolmen, tending the prisoner to the station In the patrol wagon. They have quelled disturbance on several occasions, and the cnmmlsalonera find that they have added to the force n squsd of alert men, scattered day and night In every part of ths city and mingling with the throng, ready for duty at any moment and without a rent of cost to the city The appointment appoint-ment were made at the request of the newspaper wrltera themselves; because 1 0 SQUAD OK nUPOItTEIt ' COPS " they had been birred n few times from public places where they believed they had the right to be present. Aa ofllcera ot the low they oan go anywhere now and with the authority of 11 policeman they can perform the work of news gatherers. Koars were expressed at first that the leporter would overstep the bounds of their authority after they had been commissioned, but It has never yet been done They are under th au thorlly ot the board of commlaalontn and amenable to the law the tame at the regular patrolmen. Rhould one ot them violate the regulation laid down for the guidance of policemen hla commission com-mission would be revoked and he would find himself a plain reporter once more, minus his star and club. Unusual advenlurea accompany the new role ot the reporter since they have been made policemen, and other are yet to be experienced, no doubt. Pour ot them have been arrested on the charge of carrying concealed weapons, weap-ons, bqt tbey wero liberated again when It became known that tbey v,re vested with the same authority at trie mtn who made the arrest. One ot them waa compelled to club a man vrh realtled arrest, and the clubbing was dona at scientifically as the most ex perlenced man on tho force could have performed It It I noticeable that the personal ea-emle ea-emle nf tho reporter are very quiet, and retraction ar believed to be a thing ot tho pt In St. Joseph. The policemen-reporters have more authority author-ity than they bare, ever enjoyed before, be-fore, and so far they bar been careful to not, abuse It They are no longer compelled tu waste valuable time awaiting the pleasure at an autocratic officer or someone with selt-aasunied authority when thero It an Item behind be-hind closed doors. The policeman-reporter may now rap with his club, show hi alar and enter. In a few minute min-ute he ha gathered tho fact a they really exist, and not aa they com to htm distorted by several repetitions Since the reporter havo been commissioned com-missioned It Is noticed that th amouut ot news gathered by them It nearly twlco aa great. II volume the first day at too much for them to handle, but the novelty baa worn oft considerably by thlt time. In dete live work the reporters bava already outdone out-done th tteret service men ot the city fores, and mauy times have been ot great service to the regular deteutlre On or two of them havo mad good eapturea and "scoops" at th wma time. The chief advantags ta that they can now get at facta Instead ot being compelled to accept rumors and sift the txu from th false by the us ot 1 good Judgment Several persons have learned that the commissions given th reporters by the police board or not Jokes by any means. They regarded ihem ss such until they felt the weight of a club. Threat have been made ol lawsuit on account of the commission, commis-sion, but th member of the board bsve found that the appointments ar Itaal They have the right to appoint anr number of special officers, and then Is nothing In the law to prevent thcra from conferring the power upon tb reporter The experiment I so new that It I practically untried yet hut It will be watched with Interest bi th entire country. |