Police Procedures at the Crime Scenes

[DiGregorio]

Hey, All,

I'm hoping someone can help me out. I remember reading a breakdown of how the police blocked off (or attempted to) the crime scenes during Jack's reign. I could have sworn I read it on Casebook somewhere, but I've spent 2-3 days going back through the site looking for it (because why would I do work at work???) and can't find it.

Could someone please point me in the right direction?

And if this is not the appropriate place to post this, please let me know and I'll repost where appropriate.

Thank you!

[milchmanuk]

hi
i put a thread up" called police net "
sure it,s a quote from officer Drew in Philip sudgens book.
it is under your post in general discussions.
perhaps thats it.
some people offered books to read on this subject.
this might help ?

[DiGregorio]

hi
i put a thread up" called police net "
sure it,s a quote from officer Drew in Philip sudgens book.
it is under your post in general discussions.
perhaps thats it.
some people offered books to read on this subject.
this might help ?

Thank you - I'll go back and read that thread. I'd actually been keeping track of all of the Amazon links for the books that were suggested.

Bye, bye, paycheck!

[milchmanuk]

this might be the link to my post.

[Trevor Marriott]

this might be the link to my post.

The police were chasing shadows

By the time the victims were found the killer was long gone so there would hve been no point is setting up a net to try to catch him and besides the police wou;d not have had the manpower they did later second officers into Whitechapel from other divisions.

In July 1889 in Whitechapel there was still a compliment of three sergeants and thirty-nine constables from other divisions outside Whitechapel, that decreased slightly in January 1890 to three sergeants and twenty-six constables and in March 1890 it was reduced even more to two sergeants and eleven constables which may indicate that they suspected the murder of Alice McKenzie in July 1889 as being the work of the Ripper.

www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[Scott Nelson]

You should check out "Capturing Jack The Ripper -- In the Boots of a Bobby in Victorian London" by Neil R. A. Bell. Neil is an occasional contributor on this site. His book has quite a lot of detail on police beats and securing crime scenes.

As an aside to this, look at the photograph of the outside of Mary Kelly's room showing the two broken windows. It presumably was taken the day of her murder before the windows were boarded up. If so, the police had exercise considerable crowd control to allow the photographer to complete his work.

[Wickerman]

Also, with regard to the Millers Court murder, we have:

"...the police have devoted themselves energetically to the task of preventing other people from knowing anything. The row of policemen who during the greater part of yesterday blocked Dorset-street had been withdrawn last night, but the entrance to the court - which is variously known as Miller's-court or McCarthy's-court - was vigilantly kept by two constables, who allowed no one to pass except by special favor, and showed especial zeal in the exclusion of reporters."
Star, 10 Nov. 1888.

There reports of journalists gaining access to the roofs of houses that overlook Millers Court because the police wouldn't let them in.

[harry]

The net,i believe,may have referred to the number and scope of persons and premises ,interviewed and searched.

[milchmanuk]

post no 2 should read officer Walter Dew .
not Drew THIS IS MY MISTAKE.
i will reread Philip sudgens book again to get his exact quote right. at some time in life.

[milchmanuk]

in later life officer Walter Dew wrote in his memoirs "i caught cribbin"
"i still don't believe he evaded capture" " i was there"
words to that affect. ? i only read last night wooden top."!
so perhaps he set up key choker points for police constables ?
this was my line of thought .
premeditated capture.

[Ms Diddles]

in later life officer Walter Dew wrote in his memoirs "i caught cribbin"
"i still don't believe he evaded capture" " i was there"
words to that affect. ? i only read last night wooden top."!
so perhaps he set up key choker points for police constables ?
this was my line of thought .
premeditated capture.

Poor old Bernard Cribbins banged to rights by Dew?!!

He always seems like such a nice man.





Sorry Milchman, it was a sitter!

[Ms Diddles]

You should check out "Capturing Jack The Ripper -- In the Boots of a Bobby in Victorian London" by Neil R. A. Bell. Neil is an occasional contributor on this site. His book has quite a lot of detail on police beats and securing crime scenes.

As an aside to this, look at the photograph of the outside of Mary Kelly's room showing the two broken windows. It presumably was taken the day of her murder before the windows were boarded up. If so, the police had exercise considerable crowd control to allow the photographer to complete his work.

Agreed!

I'd recommended that book to Milchman recently in relation to his queries about the police net.

It's a good read too as I recall.

[DiGregorio]

You should check out "Capturing Jack The Ripper -- In the Boots of a Bobby in Victorian London" by Neil R. A. Bell. Neil is an occasional contributor on this site. His book has quite a lot of detail on police beats and securing crime scenes.

As an aside to this, look at the photograph of the outside of Mary Kelly's room showing the two broken windows. It presumably was taken the day of her murder before the windows were boarded up. If so, the police had exercise considerable crowd control to allow the photographer to complete his work.

Excellent point, Scott. Thanks! Neil's book is on my things-to-buy-on-payday list, so I will definitely be checking that out.

[DiGregorio]

Also, with regard to the Millers Court murder, we have:

"...the police have devoted themselves energetically to the task of preventing other people from knowing anything. The row of policemen who during the greater part of yesterday blocked Dorset-street had been withdrawn last night, but the entrance to the court - which is variously known as Miller's-court or McCarthy's-court - was vigilantly kept by two constables, who allowed no one to pass except by special favor, and showed especial zeal in the exclusion of reporters."
Star, 10 Nov. 1888.

There reports of journalists gaining access to the roofs of houses that overlook Millers Court because the police wouldn't let them in.

Thanks, Jon!

[milchmanuk]

Excellent point, Scott. Thanks! Neil's book is on my things-to-buy-on-payday list, so I will definitely be checking that out.

try eBay save your pennies,, i bought two books of paul beggs last night for five pounds fifty ! with postage. library ticket comes to more than that if out of date.