The Control of Crowds
| Date | 01 July 1938 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X3801100307 |
| Published date | 01 July 1938 |
| Author | Charles H. Kelley |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The
Control
of
Crowds'
By CHARLES H. KELLEY
Chief
Constable of Pasadena, California
CROWDS, for the purpose of this discussion, may be
divided into combative and non-combative groups, and
since the combative type of crowd would require an elaborate
treatise, and since there are a number of bulletins and books on
the subject of mob control, I shall confine what I have to say
to the non-combative type.
Although it must be recognized at
the
outset that every
crowd is potentially combative, generally speaking, the problem
of large non-combative crowds is confined to those which are
likely to assemble at important athletic events, and crowds
which gather at the theatre, the circus, political meetings, fires,
accidents, catastrophes, conventions, and public receptions,
especially those concerned with national or international
figures, such as the visit of the President of the United States
to a particular locality, or the visit of some foreign dignitary.
To
this might be added the occasional college'
rags'
which take
place in some of the towns; and finally,
but
not the least
important, various types of processions which attract huge
gatherings.
One of the most perplexing problems confronting police in
cities with a population of from ninety to one hundred thou-
sand is how to handle efficiently two major attractions taking
place on the same day, each of which draws a huge crowd. I
have reference particularly to a procession, four miles in length,
which starts at ten o'clock in the morning, and wends its way
through an applauding throng estimated at
1,500,000
people,
to finish and disband as early as possible before the next event,
1A
paper
read at
the
Annual Convention of
the
International Association of
Chiefs of Police, 1936-7.
Here
printed
by courtesy of
the
Association
and
of W. P.
Rutledge, Esq., its Executive Vice President.
329
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