Despite all of the change in administrative devices, the plan of internal organization of police departments has remained much the same in all cities. The New York police system has served as the general pattern after which most police forces in the United States have been modelled. A uniformed patrol is dis tributed over cities on beats or territories as a first line of defence and protection against crime and disorder. The detective bureau is organized as a separate unit having to do with detection of the more serious crimes and apprehension of offenders. Special units of plain clothes operatives devote their attention chiefly to suppression of gambling, prostitution, illegal sale of narcotics and liquor law violations. Traffic regulation (q.v.) is a pressing problem in cities of the United States, and requirements in this direction have called for the employment of a large number of men. Policewomen are being employed in increasing numbers to look after the protection of women and children. Most large cities have training schools for instruction of new recruits and in some cases advanced instruction is given to older members of the force. Considerable progress has been made in the keeping of records, installation of systems of communication by signal and in the use of motor equipment in patrol and emergency service. Laboratories for scientific criminal investigation and identification are rapidly coming into vogue. With the passing of political interference definite progress is being made in the direction of professionalizing police service, and a higher type of man is being attracted to the service.
State constabularies have been created in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, West Virginia, Michi gan, New Jersey, Colorado, Maryland and Delaware. These organizations recently established were built upon the experiences of municipal forces and so have avoided many difficulties and started on a generally high level of efficiency. Their work lies
chiefly in patrol of rural areas and regulation of traffic on impor tant rural highways. There is no Federal police force designated as such. In the Treasury Department of the Federal Government there are units comprising investigators armed with police powers who look after violations of the prohibition law, smuggling through customs, illegal narcotic importation and counterfeiting. A corps of investigators is maintained by the Post Office Department in tracing theft from the mails, illegal use of mails, etc. The De partment of Justice maintains a criminal identification section. The Federal Congress has control over the Washington, D.C., municipal police force. (R. B. F.) POLICE COURTS, courts of summary jurisdiction held in London and certain large towns in England and Wales by specially appointed and salaried magistrates.
Police magistrates are appointed by the Crown. They must have been practising barristers for seven years or stipendiary magistrates for some place in England or Wales. One police magistrate has the same powers as two justices.
The precedent of appointing salaried magistrates was adopted in certain provincial towns under particular acts, and in 1863 the Stipendiary Magistrates Act enabled towns and boroughs of 25,00o inhabitants and upwards to obtain a stipendiary magistrate. There are at the present time (excluding metropolitan magistrates' courts) 18 stipendiary magistrates' courts throughout England and Wales.
In the United States there are no so-called police courts in the Federal system of courts except in the District of Columbia, where the President appoints, subject to confirmation by the Senate, two judges of the police court. In the various States, police courts, the presiding official of which is either a judge or a magistrate, have been created for many cities. They are elected by the voters, and try the violators of municipal ordinances.