It is hereby made the duty of the police department and force, at all times of day
and night, and the members of such force are hereby thereunto empowered, to especially
preserve the public peace, prevent crime, detect and arrest offenders, suppress riots,
mobs and insurrections, disperse unlawful or dangerous assemblages, and assemblages
which obstruct the free passage of public streets, sidewalks, parks and places; protect
the rights of persons and property, guard the public health, preserve order at elections
and all public meetings and assemblages; regulate the movement of teams and vehicles
in streets, bridges, squares, parks and public places, and remove all nuisances in
the public streets, parks and highways; arrest all street mendicants and beggars;
provide proper police attendance at fires; assist, advise, and protect emigrants,
strangers and travelers in public streets, and at railroad stations; carefully observe
and inspect all places of public amusement, all places of business having excise or
other licenses to carry on any business; all houses of ill-fame or prostitution, and
houses where common prostitutes resort or reside; all lottery offices, policy shops,
and places where lottery tickets or lottery policies are sold or offered for sale;
all gambling houses, cock-pits, rat-pits and public common dance-houses, and to repress
and restrain all unlawful and disorderly conduct or practices therein, and to enforce
and prevent the violation of all laws and ordinances in force in said city; and for
these purposes, to arrest all persons guilty of violating any law or ordinance for
the suppression or punishment of crimes or offenses.
