Fox Point, Wis., will begin operation of integrated police and fire services after a training period is over, according to the International City Managers' Association. The governing board of the village, which has a population of 3,585, approved the integrated public safety department in the belief that it would mean better police and fire protection because of more efficient use of available manpower.

When the training period is over, the work week for all public safety officers will be about 40 hours as compared with former work weeks of 44.8 hours for the police and 73 hours for firemen. Under the integrated system, an officer will be at the station at all times to answer fire alarms and officers out on patrol duty will go directly to a fire when notified of its location by radio.

Fox Point will thus join these cities that already have a single department of public safety instead of one department for police and another for fire protection: Buena Park and Sunnyvale, Calif.; Glencoe, Ill.: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Oak Park, Mich.; and North Augusta, S. C.

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Do curfews curb juvenile delinquency? Cities faced with the problem of youthful crime will be interested in a study of Florida curfew laws by Frank L. Manella, field representative of the Florida Children's Commission.

Manella, who terms his study "an exploratory venture into an area where considerable confusion exists," does not take sides on the question. But he makes several interesting points, among them these:

* There is serious doubt as to whether curfew are constitutional.

* He was unable to find one study on value of curfews in any professional scientific journal concerned with juvenile delinquency.

* Curfews "are usually enacted without preliminary study on the basis of an emotional reaction of the citizenry to 'do something' about juvenile crime."

* It is questionable whether the usually accepted curfew hour of 9 p.m. is realistic in view of youth's pattern of living.

* The curfew can prove "very valuable and effective" as a curb on gang activities.

* However, a Juvenile Court report for the State of Connecticut quoted in Manella's report states "a curfew cannot and does not change a delinquent's personal character, attitudes or needs."

Copies of Manella's report are available to municipalities free of charge from the Florida Children's Commission, 59-A Caldwell Building, Tallahassee, Florida.

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When Kalamazoo, Mich., was giving thought to stiffening an ordinance that prohibited the sale or display of obscene publications, the city attorney queried 48 cities on their practices. According to the International City Managers' Association, the replies led the attorney to send these conclusions to the Kalamazoo council:

—Police chiefs and city attorneys lack the power to decide whether or not a publication is obscene, and they can open themselves to a lawsuit if they attempt to do so because they may be violating freedom of the press.

—Much that is offensive is not necessarily obscene by legal standards and therefore cannot be legally suppressed by the city.

—The city council is not the proper place to put prime responsibility for a campaign against smut and loose morals. Homes, schools, and churches should play the biggest role in a such a campaign.

—The best approach in these matters is not to bring force to bear but to bring about negotiation and cooperation among magazine dealers, police, and citizens.

In line with the last point, the city has gained agreement from local magazine dealers that they will not stock certain nudist and "art" magazines and that certain other objectionable magazines will not be sold to anyone under 18.

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Oakland, Calif., reported a reorganization of its police department to the International City Managers' Association, citing the following changes as bringing greater protection to its 384,585 residents:

Closing of two outlying police stations, which freed 18 policemen for outside police work.

Conversion of one of the old stations into a police academy for training new recruits.

Daily lineup instruction for all police at the start of their shift. After roll call, beat men are briefed on crimes that occurred the last 24 hours. There is inspection of uniforms and equipment.

Stiffer requirements for new policemen and removal of restrictions that said recruits must live in the city.

A new bureau of internal affairs set up to investigate all complaints against the conduct of policemen.

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Statistics compiled by the Phoenix, Ariz., fire department show that over the past six years 94 per cent of 9,839 fire alarms came over the telephone and the remaining 6 per cent came through telegraph alarm boxes. The International City

Managers' Association reports that the figures showed 67 per cent of the telegraph alarms were false, as compared to 2 per cent false among the telephone alarms.