The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-06
Scandalous Developments OF the Metropoli.
tan Police.

ScandalOus Developments OF the Metropoli-
tan Police.
The report of the Senate committee appointed
to investigate the Metropolitan Police system
was presented to that body on Friday last. We
published the report yesterday, and we give to-
day in another column the leading portions of
| the testimony taken by the committee at their
sessions in this city, and we will venture to say
that more disgracetul record of corruption in
| efficiency and general misconduct, has rarely if
ever, been presented to the public. The wit
nesses from whom the facts were elected were
not parties hostile to the force or the SYSTEM but
| were for the most part officers, clerks, door
| keepers and messengers attached to the Metro
| politan Police, so that they cannot be suspected
of exaggeration in the statements they have made
| under oath.
Let us glance at some of the facts brought to
| light by this investigation.
1t was shown, in the first place, that many
members of the force are men of the worst charac-
ter, some of them being well known thieves and
rowdies, who before their appointment as con-
SENATORS Of the public peace and the lives and
property of our citizens, had made acquaintance
with the cells of the station houses and prisons
for gross violation of the laws. Drunkenness
and rowdyism have been proved to exist in many
OF the station houses captains of police as well as
the men, it is sworn, are frequent visiters to
houses Of ill-fame, and that, too, in the
| uniform of the force; the most infamous con-
| duct hardly fit to be mentioned has been
practised with prostitutes in the police stations
and one witness, himself an officer, testiies
that this class when arrested for disorderly con-
| duct are treated with more favor than anv other
| prisoners; in many instances, while poor house
less people seeking lodging in the station
| houses are put into miserable cells, prostitutes
| arrested on some charge are treated to superior
accommodations in the rooms of the officers, and
receive especial favor at their hands. Nor is this
| all. A more fragrant charge has been established
by an Alderman of Brooklyn against an officer of
that city, namely: the violation of an unfortunate
female prisoner in the cells. Upon this charge
being proved to the satisfaction of the police
authorities as it appears it was, one would sup
pose that instant dismissal of the delinquent
would have followed; but instead of that it turns
out that he has been punished only by removal
from Brooklyn to district in the Five Points
more congenial location for such fellow-and
which probably proved a reward rather than a
punishment.
1t appears, moreover that on many occasions
the men picked each others pockets, stole their
companions pay and sundry other articles, in the
| station houses. The extent to which politics
have been introduced into the police system may
be learned from the fact that many members of
the force of all ranks and grades were in the
habit of deserving their posts here to attend con-
ventions at Syracuse and elsewhere, and to
lobby in Albany against the repeal of the
Metropolitan Police law Further, it is
sworn by a witness, who was candi-
date for the Legislature last fall, that de-
putation of policemen in full uniform waited on
him before the election and catechised him as to
his political opinions, threatening that if he did
not pledge himself in favor of maintaining the
Metropolitan Police law they would defeat him
a pledge which, the gentleman says, he indig-
nantly refused to give.
The famous ''house and lot transaction is we'll
ventilated in the testimony 1t appears that SUBJ
scriptons were collected from the men for the
purpose Of purchasing or paying part of the
purchase money on house and lot for favorite
Police Commissioner, but when it was found that
the business was unpopular with the press and
the people the money was returned. Subscrip-
tons, however, it is admitted were taken from
the men to secure Mayor Tiemann's election, and
also to assist Mr.. Daniel D. Conover in his trou-
bles about the Street Commssionership.
Sinecures are shown to be quite plenty in the
force. Men who receive the full salary of pa
trolmen-SS00 year-perform only such duties
as messengers as boy could do, and clerks are
employed in the Office Of the Superintendent and
Others at comparatively high salaries, whose
duties only occupy them few hours in the day.
Observation-Disclosures of a corrupt nature or not
we do not KNOWS manifested. The horses of
the mounted police are kept in livery stables
owned by brother Of one of the Commissioners;
the carriages used by the Commissioners are
hired from member Of the force; and from the
evidence adduced on this point, it appears that
these carriages have been occasionally used by
the family Of one of the Commissioners to 90
shopping"
Is there any comment necessary after these
facts?
While such state of things exists in the police
system it is no wonder that life and property are
unprotected, or that the standard of morals
should be so low in the metropolis. What can be
expected of body 30 utterly degraded, vicious
and corrupt, as the police force of this city is re-
presented to be by the sworn statements of so
many of its own members?
There is another investigation going on in this
city at the present time teAte The Police Com
missioners, reports of which appear daily In our
columns, and the revelations of corruption there
made are hardly less startling
With reference N tbn Cauafn cnnn,it.oo's 70