1887: IMPROVING THE DISCIPLINE IN THE TRENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Before I owned a scanner, I transcribed many interesting articles and saved them in text form. I found this article to be an incisive look into the operations of local law enforcement back in the Victorian era. It provides very interesting reading:
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TRENTON POLICE RULES AND REGULATIONS BOOK
SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1887, DAILY STATE GAZETTE,
Transcribed by Tom Glover, March, 1988

The members of the police force last evening received little books inscribed "Rules & Regulations of the Police Department of the City of Trenton." The police committee of the Common Council had them printed in the hope that the discipline of the force might be improved. The knights of the locust here have never had very strict rules relating to their government and conduct, and it was thought that perhaps printed rules would effect the desired result. A reporter of the Gazette asked Chief McChesney for a copy of the new regulations, but that official refused the request, for the reason that the Police Committee might not like to have anything about the matter published. The reporter obtained a book elsewhere. He found these among the rules:

Officers must not sleep on duty, either in the office or elsewhere. Any member of the force neglecting the payment of his just debts for necessities, rent, etc., and who may be ordered to pay the same, shall at the time specified in such order leave the amount of such debt with, or exhibit the creditor's receipt for the same, to the Chief, so that the settlement of said debt may be recorded.
Members of the police force must be civil and respectful to each other on all occasions. A patrolman on meeting or passing a superior officer shall salute him in the manner prescribed in 'Upton's Military Tactics.
Every officer, when entering upon duty, must be neat in his person, his clothes and boots clean, and his dress in conformity with the regulations. No member of the Department shall be permitted to solicit or make any contributions in money or other things, on any pretext, to any person, committee or association for any political purpose whatever.
Each member shall at all times have with him a small book, in which he shall enter the names of persons taken in charge by him, and such particulars in each case as may be important in the trial thereof. They shall carefully watch all disorderly houses or houses of ill repute, or houses which disorderly persons frequent within their respective beats, observe by whom they are frequented, and report their observations to their commanding officer. They shall pay particular attention to all ale houses, hotels, saloons or restaurants which close at unusually late hours and are kept open between 12 o'clock on Saturday night and 12 o'clock on Sunday night, and report the same to the Chief of Police. Each and every one of them shall give his name and number to all persons who may require the same.
They must not use the baton except in the most urgent cases of self defense. Umbrellas and walking canes are not to be used by policemen while on duty. Officers when on patrol duty must not converse with citizens or with each other, unless strictly on police business. They must by their vigilance render it extremely difficult for anyone to commit a crime on their respective beats. The absence of crime will be considered the best proof of efficiency of the police; and when on any beat offenses frequently occur, there will be good reason to suppose that there is negligence or want of ability on the part of the person in charge of such beat. They shall carefully inspect every part of their respective beats; but the regularity of inspection hereby enjoined shall not prevent any of them from remaining at any particular place, if their presence be required; and if they so remain they must satisfy their superior officer that there was sufficient cause for their so doing. They must at all times be able to furnish particular information respecting the state of their respective beats.
Any officer of the Police Department who shall be guilty of absence at roll call, absence from duty without leave, or of a violation or disobedience of any of the foregoing rules, shall be subject to a reprimand, fine, suspension, or expulsion at the discretion of the Police Committee, by and with the approval of His Honor, the Mayor.
Superior Officers: The Chief of Police shall be the chief executive officer of the Police Department, subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by the Police Committee, and it shall be his duty to see that the laws of the State and ordinances of the city are duly enforced. It shall be his duty to repair to all serious or extensive fires and to all riots or tumultuous assemblages occurring within the city; to take command of the police present; to save and protect property, and to arrest such persons as he may find disturbing the peace or inciting others to do so. The Chief shall, at the first regular meeting in every month, report to the Common Council the number of arrests made during the month previous thereto, by whom such arrests were made, the nature of the offense, and any other such matter pertaining to his office which he may deem proper to report upon. He shall also render a full report in writing of the duties of his office for the preceding year at each annual meeting of the Common Council.
The Chief of Police shall keep a book, wherein shall be entered the name and residence of each policeman; also a roll showing the time of night eachpoliceman shall go on duty, the beat on which he is stationed, and his hours of actual duty; and shall note the absentees at each roll-call, and report the same to the Police Committee at least once a month.
The Chief of Police shall keep in his office a book, in which shall be entered the name of every person complained of for violation of the city ordinances, the nature of the complaint, and the name and residence of the complainant in each case, and shall make a report thereof to the Police Committee as often as they require, and to the Common Council once a month.
The Chief of Police shall designate the day and night posts in each ward, and the policemen who are to patrol same. It shall be his duty to communicate to the City Physician the presence of any contagious or infectious disease, or the existence of any nuisance in the city which shall be detrimental to the public health. He shall keep a book in which shall be recorded all orders promulgated by him; he shall post a copy of the bulletin in the police station, and he shall see that each member becomes familiar with said rules, and report every delinquency in that respect to the Mayor or Committee on Police. He shall promptly report to the Mayor and Police Committee each and every case of dereliction of duty of any member of the department, which may in any way come to his knowledge, and also all complaints made to him against any member thereof.
The 'Police School of Instruction' is one of the most interesting features of the new regulations. There are about a dozen small pages of questions and answers, which presumably the officers are to study and ponder and commit to memory.

Some of the questions follow:
What relation does a policeman bear to the community at large?
(ANSWER: He is a servant of the people, and should never aspire to be their master. The power that creates a policeman and clothes him with authority comes directly from the people, each of whom is entitled to kindness and courtesy from public servants.)
How should a policeman conduct himself toward citizens generally?
ANSWER:(Always as a gentleman, kind and pleasant in language and bearing, ever obliging and ready to assist them, and never, under any circumstances to hold argument or controversy upon any subject whatever with citizens.)
When citizens make inquire, how are they to be treated?
ANSWER: (With civility and attention, the policeman affording all proper information in his power with as little delay as possible.)
How does a policeman salute his superior officer?
ANSWER: (As a soldier, with the right hand raised smartly to the forehead.)
Under what circumstances may a policeman legally use the club?
ANSWER: (When assaulted in a violent manner by one or more persons of superior physical strength to himself, and then only to protect himself from injury. A good, manly officer will not lose his temper, maltreat, or strike a prisoner without being himself first stricken and in danger of being disabled or beaten from the discharge of his duty.)
Under what circumstances may a policeman use his pistol?
ANSWER: (He should never draw or attempt to use his pistol, except in extraordinary cases, such as in the actual defense of his own or another's life, when attacked with deadly weapons, or in active pursuit of escaping criminals charged with great crimes such as murder, burglary, arson, etc. Shooting at another is a crime, except when proven to be done in self-defense; therefore, if a police man, sworn to execute the criminal laws of the State, should through cowardice, passion, or malice, shoot at, wound, or kill another, he would be a criminal in a double sense, for the reason that in so doing he would be guilty of violating his oath of office. )
What are the essential requisites of a good policeman?
ANSWER: (Honesty, truthfulness, sobriety, courage, intelligence, good morals, good temper, promptitude, impartiality and pleasant address.)