Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-03-09
POLICE REVELATIONS IN NEW YORK.

New York is believed to be the worst gov
erned city in the United States. 1t is a source
| of common complaint from both residents and
strangers. Neither life or property is secure.
With every municipal election, we are prom
ised great reforms; but whatever party is in
the ascendant, or whoever is Mayor, the same
amount of crime continues to exist. By recent
revelations respecting the character of the po-
lice, brought to light by select committee OF
the State Senate, it is believed that very
large amount of the crime is directly traceable
to them. The committee show that by the
payment of sums varying from fifty to two
hundred dollars, all sorts of characters are per-
mitted to become members of the police; and
the money so obtained has been used for polit-
ical purposes by the party in power. Among
the crimes committed by the police, the COM
mittee report the following:
"a sergeant of the force is proven to have
been guilty of three several charges of the
most disgusting and atrocious description-a
rape in the station house being the only one
that your committee can name or refer to in
any other than this vague manner. The con-
duct of two officers was brought before the
Commissioners, and although the evidence
against them was of the strongest character,
and perfectly conclusive, in fact, they were
suffered to go UNPUBLISHED, and still hold the
Office of sergeant.
A patrolman was disabled from performing
his duty while in quarrel with a prostitute,
his hand being shattered by the discharge of a
pistol; and notwithstanding the surgeon of his
precinct refused to give him certificate that
he was injured while on duty, but actually GER
titled to the Commissioners that he was not
entitled to his pay, because he was shot while
he was neglecting his duty and violating the
law, the Commissioners caused him TO be paid
for the three months while he was recovering
from his wound.
A member of the Harbor Police holding an
important position in the force, was engaged
in conspiracy to steal the stores of the United
States ship Susquehanna, lying on the dock at
Quarantine, either as an accomplice or an ac-
cessory, and that the Commissioners dismissed
the complaints against the man guilty of this
crime and retained him in the force. In sup
port of this allegation, refer to the testimony
of Mr.. Bender, member of the Harbor Police,
and the affidavit of one Mr.. Cramniskey, cor
roborating the evidence of officer Bender.
The Commissioners have appointed special po-
licemen to preside over premises occupied by
such specials, which premises are the resort OF
felons, prostitutes, and patent safe men, as well
as being used for designation purposes. While
the Commissioners have appointed men of this
character, they have refused to appoint this
class of officers when asked for by respectable
citizens, such appointment being necessary to
preserve the peace of the city and to protect
the property Of its inhabitants.
Prostitutes taken to the station house as
prisoners, instead of being placed in the cells,
are allowed to occupy the sit ing rooms, while
poor but respectable people, who sought refuge
in the station house as lodgers were placed in
the cells which had been provided for the ac-
commodation Of criminals. Almost every
rule and regulation made by the Commission
| ers for the government of the organization have
been violated by the men and officers of the
department, and as your committee believe,
in very many instances with the knowledge of
! the Commissioners, who have taken no notice
| OF such vioations-tor the reason, perhaps
| that they had set the example by themselves,
| openly violating many of the provisions of the
Metropolitan Police law. 1t was proven be-
fore your committee, that many thetts have
been committed by members of the police,
amounting in several instances to grand lar
ceny, none of which, so far as we could ascer-
tain, were punished or prosecuted; property
belonging to members of the force has frequent
! ly been stolen from the station houses, while
\,
which was clearly proven upon him; yet he
was never punished in any way, except that
he was allowed to resign from the department. y
Members of the force, officers as well as pa
trolmen, are in the habit Of frequenting houses
of illfame when sober, as well as when drunk
of borrowing money of the keepers, and ill
treating and abusing the inmates. The money
borrowed of these people is returned or not, at
the convenience of the men who compel the
prostitutes to lend it. 1t was in proof before
the committee that a member of the police
force stole valuable watch from the Nicara-
guam Minister on board the Oregon steamboat,
while she was used as receiving ship for pas
sengers arriving at quarantine. The thief was
caught, confessed his crime, and was allowed
to remain in the department The concurring
testimony of several respectable witnesses es-
tablished the fact that the Harbor Police at the
sub-station on Staten Island consisting of fiji.
teen men, were utterly inefficient and worth
less ; that eleven of the fifteen are habitual
drunkards; that they were frequent visitors Of
house of ill-fame of the commonest descrp
ton, the keeper of which was special police
man, and his barkkepers also. There would
seem to be no reasonable doubt that proper
and ordinary diligence on the part of the po
lice would have prevented the disastrous con-
f1agration at quarantine on the LIST and I'd OF
September 1858.