The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-29
DELINQUENT POLICEMEN.

NEGLECT THEIR DUTY.
tits q good sign when citizens who find that
they have been pundered by one OF the numerous
gangs of thieves that prey upon the community
make a determined effort TO force the police to
perform their duty. Heretofore merchants who had
been robbed were content to suffer In silence
being, perhaps, ccgnzant OF the fact that the
| Police Department which they help to maintain
! as taxpayers Is negligent ana fails TO either
protect the people from depreciation or make an
| EFFORT 10 catch the thieves so that they may be
| punished ana placed for time where they cannot
rob and steal For every case OF burglary or
| larceny that finds its way into the newspapers
there are at least five that remain concealed by
the police. When q case is reported TO captain
he Is supposed to make an attempt to catch the
offenders and he usually makes a secret report Of
the facts TO his superiors The rules OF the depart
ment explicitly provide for this, the principal
reason being that the superintendent should
know what crimes are being committed. This is
of course, quite proper, out the explanation for
the private nature OF the report Is so peculiarly
foolish that no sensible man can indOrse it. The
police invariably pretend that to properly "work
up'' cases the facts should he kept from the pub
lie. The convenient phrase. defeating the ends
OF justice,"i Is constantly used, though secrecy
aided the matter particle. When gang OF bur-
glars force their way into a merchants store
or citizens dwelling they know very well
that they are violating the laws govern.
ing property, and that II detected and
ppunisament II the victim tells the whole u world
OF mis- loss and every policeman on the lorce stood
on the street corners ana az nounced the crime to
every paSser-by the thief would not stand any
better chance OF getting away. On the contrary,
the more publicity given to the matter the greater
The chances are that the villains will be caught.
When q thief secures his plumber he Is at once
anxious to get rid of the same and there Is no
question that II the police mace regular hue
and cry about 1t he would find more difficulty
than ever In doing 1t. Very often stolen goods are
more NOR touch 0 them II thew knew that thew had
been stolen than they would commit the larceny
itse; yet the secrecy maintained by the police in
such cases always leaves this convenient door
ON Monday morning last Mr.. Rufus L. Cole,
produce commission merchant doing business at
No. l4l Reade street, found that the locks on his
cellar and store doors had been tempered with The
the cellarway could be opened, and 1t required
considerable exertion ana ingenuity to open the
raised Suspicion and on search being made the
merchant discovered that six frkins and TOUR tubs
Of butter cSntaining about 500 pounds and valued
PACKAGES OF outer had been selected from pile
that stood near the centre OF the store oor show.
OF tine about their neiarous operations. and
the fact that these packages made up the
usual load for a carman also proved that the
police could not have been attending TO their
duties. cart load OF OUTER Is not so easy to
hide. nor is 1t easy load up cart in the street
without attracting atten riOn especially as 1t must
have been done at night or on the sabbath, when
business Is not usually transacted.
Mr.. Cole, finding himself robbed, naturally sup
posed that the taxes he had paid TO support the
Police Department. entitled him to some return,
that some OF his taxes mad gone IN that direction.
la this con1ding mood the vicrimized merchant
repaired to the Chambers street police station,
where he found the Captain and reported
his loss. The merchant then learned that
cs SSo org his Su,o0s any as
TO his golden Shield seemed to take the matter
vely cOOlly as though 800 pounds OF good, market
able butter were mere mouthul. He told the
on as though he was doing the merchant a very
great favor. The way the Captain saw to 1t"
70 he mes 20
tions looked very wise and important and said
''rlI look into IT," the Captains seeing and the
the butter aud, as a butter merchant happened to
call In, lie learned that his visitor had the week
previous, lost twelve tubs or butter, q TACT that
though the gang had made up their minds 10 tap
all the butter stores Another merchant then
Matsel and give him TO understand that some
thing must be done else he would make
SeacSsa the Central oce Mr. Matse was atena
Ing O meeting OF the Board OF Health and could
not be seen. Neither were any OF the other Commits
sioners visible, so the merchant asked Tor Super
intendent wahng, who at once promised snat
Headquarters detective should take up the case.
The detective came as promised but he seemed TO
take very little interest in the burglary and gave
the merchant no encouragement that the property
would be recovered. or the thieves arrested.
viii continue 10 stand the thieves meanwhile
being quite at liberty to 60 on plunderIng at Will
and pleasure.
and 1t shows clearly that the police do lot attend
to their business, and the public Is thus left at tho
mercy OF the thieves. IT the merchant had offered
a reward Tor the recovery OF the stolen butter he
would probably have secured his property, but as
he omitted TO 40 this he Is without remedy.