Law Enforcement Training Given By Department of Public Safety
Source: Constabulary Lightning Bolt, June 4 1947
Provided by John Capone

Sonthofen - The Department of Public Safety, U.S. Constabulary School, in Sonthofen is responsible for developing the troopers in the Constabulary into law enforcement agents.

Instructors in the department have been garnered from all sections of the United States. The department director, Lt Col A.M. Eaton, is from Memphis, Tenn., and in addition instructs in the responsibilities, personal bearing, conduct, and duties of the trooper. The executive officer, Maj Gifford L. Weston, is from Caledonia, N.Y. In addition he instructs in the important subject of passes and permits.

Capt David C. Clagett, a native of Upper Marlboro, Md., handles the three subjects, report writing, laws of arrest and criminal investigation, while Capt Willis F. Gausman, who comes from Oklahoma City, Okla., instructs in elements of crime, criminal investigation, and operation of Constabulary CP desks and records. Lt John J. McGuire of Altoona, Pa., is the school's instructor in report writing, scene of crime, and criminal investigation. Louis Ramirez, who calls New York City his home, teaches the subject of evidence, rules, collection and preservation, and criminal investigation. Lt Leon E. Lancaster of Rutherforton, NC., trains students in the duties of patrols, traffic control, and criminal investigation.

Native of Colorado
Capt William A. Spight, who instructs in traffic accidents, evidence, rules, and collection and preservation, is a native son of Fort Collins, Colo., and the subject, interrogation, confessions, and statements, is taught by a Chicagoan, John F. Kreissl. The State of Illinois also claims Capt Raymond C. Hill, the department's adjutant, who is from Salem.

Capt Asa P. Gray, the department's instructor in report writing, comes from Lansing, Mich., and Lt Charles A. Watson, of Dade City, Fla., handles duties of patrols. Another southerner, Lt Clyde R. Weathers, instructs in unarmed defense. He is a native of Raleigh, N.C.

Capt Roger E. Lewis, of Glendale, Calif., is the unarmed defense expert. Lt William S. Price, of Philadelphia, Pa., trains students in technique and mechanics of arrest. Court and courtroom demeanor and fire prevention and game laws are given by Lt Franz Schubert. He is a native of Springfield, Mass. Capt William J. DeSalvo, of Oyster Bay, N.Y., has as his special work the instruction of students in operation of Constabulary CP desks (and) records. Capt Roy Moore teaches evidence, rules, collection and preservation, report writing, and operation of Constabulary CP desks and records. He is from Enum Claw, Wash.

Administrative Staff
Members of the administrative staff include natives of every section of the United States. Brooklyn, N.Y., claims Miss Mary McDonnell, who is engaged in secretarial work in the department and the maintenance of training schedules. S/Sgt Judith Yaeger, assistant chief clerk, is from Hamden, Conn., while Sgt John Capone, judo instructor, is a native of New Haven in the same state.

Two of the department's judo instructors call New York their home state, S/Sgt. Carl (not legible) is a native son of Camden, and T/5 Michael Mancini comes from Amsterdam. Instruction in judo is also taught by M/Sgt George Abe, who claims Pullman, Wash., as his native place; S/Sgt Frank Broce, of Huntington, W.Va.; S/Sgt William Hines, a native of San Marcos, Texas; Pfc Will H. Grosskopf, who comes from New York City and two southerners, S/Sgt William Duty, of Artrit, Va., and Pfc Monroe Tillery, of West Point, Ga. Honolulu, Hawaii, is the native place of judo instructor Philipp N. Arboleda.

A Texan, T/4 Billy L. Ross, of Delvalle, is the department's chief clerk, while the mid-west claims the reproduction section chief and reproduction clerk. T/4 Ada B. Spielman is a native daughter of Rockford, Ill., while Cpl Doris R. Dunwoody is from Elgin, in the same state.

Planned in Sequence
The operation plan of the department calls for instruction in the various subjects in sequence. The students attending the school are first indoctrinated in responsibilities, personal conduct, bearing and duties of the trooper. Then they are instructed in the laws of arrest where a background of all current laws is established in order to provide the trooper with (the) ability to recognize an infraction or violation of a law when it occurs. Elements of crime are next studied, and in this subject the student acquires technical and practical knowledge of items normally contained in a crime scene. He then has practical work in sketching a scene of crime, indicating in the sketches the exact position of various elements in the scene.

Evidence, the rules, collection and preservation of evidence are then studied in order to develop within the trooper the ability to determine what elements of crime found at the scene of crime will be accepted normally by the courts as evidence. How this evidence must be collected, and how it must be packaged and marked for preservation are likewise discussed. From there, the student is next instructed in the correct method of interrogating subjects, obtaining confessions and statements with practical exercises on the proper method and form to be used in recording the results of their interrogations or confessions and statements obtained.

A brief course also is given the student on passes and permits in order that he, as a trooper, can readily recognize passes which are acceptable and those which are forged or non-acceptable. With this background, the student then receives instruction in report writing where he is thoroughly trained in all the basic elements of proper reporting, including in his reports information normally required by higher command or required for testimony to obtain a conviction of any criminals apprehended.

Methods of Arrest
The next step in rounding out the trooper is a thorough indoctrination in the technique and mechanics of arrest. The proper method of approach and how to eliminate the possibility of escape by a suspect once a decision is made to questions or apprehend him, is developed in the minds of all troopers.

All of these subjects lead to the activities of the trooper when on patrol, and he receives complete instruction in a course, duties of patrols, foot and mounted, tying in by practical exercises elements of the subjects formerly studied. The trooper is next shown by a comprehensive course the results of his activities as developed in the operation of a Constabulary CP desk and record section. The final step in the trooper's education is a course on court and courtroom demeanor, where by practical work again, he obtains knowledge of the proper method of entering the court, reporting, and serving as a witness. Three aditional courses are taught, all of which are duty requirements of the trooper.

A short course on fire prevention and game laws is included, and there is a concentrated course in unarmed defense or judo. This course is definitely tied in with technique and mechanics of arrest in that it gives the trooper training which permits apprehension without use of undue force or unneccessary use of weapons.

There are two special courses which are given desk and record students and to SIS (Special Investigator Squad) students. The desk and record course to the desk and record students is a most complete and thorough course of instruction on the proper operation of a CP desk and record section with the attending ability to chart statistically and graphically the operations of that section.

The special criminal investigation course is laid down along the lines of courses given CID investigators and includes studies on all subjects pertaining to investigations of crimes and accidents. A traffic accident course given to all students includes instruction in the requirements for investigating and correctly reporting traffic accidents, with practical exercises in completing all forms necessary.

(Editor's note: This is the first of a series of articles on the courses on instruction given at the U.S. Cosntabulary School.)