Radio and Crime

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 4, 9 August 1929, Page 25

Radio and Crime

Action in Chicago’ IN order to repress an ever-spreading crime wave, there was brought into being a novel means of co-operation between Chicago’s police force and "her leading broadcasting station, W.G.N. A fleet of speedy, high-powered cars: was equipped with receiving sets, locked on WGN night and day. When the eall comes from police headquarters the programme is interrupted, and out goes the order, "Squads Attention!" Sometimes there are as many as a dozen calls in an evening’s tuning. Immediately on receipt of the message this radiozed fleet proceeds to the scene of. the crime as announced from the station. On one occasion radio brought squad cars to a mansion in a select suburb of Chicago. After detectives had surrounded the house they burst in’ the door, only to be welcomed by _ the burglar himself. He was a paperhanger © awaiting the return of the family be- | fore starting work. To make the af- | fair all the more complicated, the message which brought the detectives on | the scene of the supposed robbery also , brought a crowd of several thousand — people to see how the police actually ) capture a real burglar.