POLICE   DEPARTMENT.
 

REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31,  1896.
 

Police Department of the City of New York, ]

No. 300 IVIulberry Street,                        v

New York, February 27,  1897.      )

Hon. William L. Strong, Mayor of the City of New York :

Sir—In submitting herewith the Annual Report of the Police Depart¬
ment for the year 1896, we have included not only the work of the past
year, but in addition a summary of the more important changes in this
Department since the organization of the present Board of Police.

Commissioners Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick D. Grant and Andrew
D. Parker were appointed on May 6, 1895, and with Commissioner Avery
D. Andrews, appointed on February 13, 1895, formed the new Board.
It was organized on May 6, 1895, by the election of Mr. Roosevelt as
President, Mr. Andrews as Treasurer, and the appointment of the follow¬
ing committees :

Committee on Elections—Messrs. Parker, Andrews and Grant.

Committee on Repairs and Supplies—Messrs. Grant and Andrews.

Committee on Rules and Discipline—Messrs. Grant and Parker.

Committee on Pensions—Messrs. Parker and Grant, with the President
ex-officio a member of all committees.

This organization has remained unchanged to the present time.

The new Board found the Department in a demoralized condition,
comparable with nothing ever known in the history of the Department.
Nothing had been done towards improving its condition since the
adjournment of the Lexow Investigating Committee.

An extraordinary Grand Jury had recently been investigating the
records of many officers, and many indictments had been found. 268
vacancies existed in the Department, and 26 officers, including i Inspector
and 5 Captains, were under suspension on account of indictments for