Cambridge Crime Prevention Squad Starts Operations

Two extra cruising cars went on duty yesterday morning as Cambridge police set in motion a special crime prevention squad to combat holdup gangs in the city.

The two cars are private vehicles operated by plainclothesmen instructed to guard payroll transfers, banking and large business institutions, in particular.

At the same time Chief John R. King of the Cambridge Police Department announced that all of the city's cruising cars will henceforth be equipped with riot guns.

Captain Patrick J. McCarthy heads the new crime prevention squad.

No Official Tie-Up

The two special cars are on 24-hour duty, cruising continuously through the city.

Police spokesmen offered no tie-up between the new measures and the three-man "crime wave" that swept through the Observatory area last week when a trio of youths robbed three Radcliffe students one College student, and an MIT undergraduate.