New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-18
A pEMoRAIIzED POLICE FORCE.

greatest space is devoted to the police management
A DEMORAIIZED POLICE FORCE.
THE PRESENT NUMBERS INADEQUATE-THE MEM
BEERS CORRUPT PANEL PROSTITUTION, AND
c.upIINe HOUSES EXIST ONLY BY CoNNIvANCE
OF THE POLICE.
At the outset the Committee feel compelled
70 bear witness the extreme decentralization that has
srant ALI over the police force OF the City Of NewYok
The evidence that been taken before the Committee
Is but sknmnS OF the surface, after all ana yet mas
awakened intense interest in the community and mas
brought to light OF which only those citizens were
aware who had themselves much Of the working OF
the police force II is undoubtedly, TO great eAIehIa
corrupt force and your Committee believe That IL mas
beep corrupted from the top downward. 1t is impossible
TO give the smallest sketch here OF the immense
mass of testimony which has flowed IN upon the Coh
ittee concerning the degradation OF the police foree
but at least of few portions of it can be
attempted.
CONDUCT OF POLICE CAPTAINS.
Within the limits of their precincts the captains are
over the criminal classes absolute m0narohs and can De
very dcspotic and very powerful the pooerc S.
eycn when MT criminals. Armed with these immense
what has been the conduct Of the captains OF the
police FORGET idea of it can be obtained from the
following summary: 1t is in testimony that one captain
received regularly every week from eaeh paneose IN
his district $75. and in addition, one-hait OF 'he
"squeals which phrase being translated from police ana
thieves pariance English means the amount OF
money stolen In a panehouse from any indiv iua no
has complained at the station house, and VINO mas b'
turned away without his complaint beng prosecuted
This captain. who commanded the Tweny-nmh Precinct
bounded by Fourtcenthst, tOrysecondst, fourth ana
sevenhayes testified that he thought there were gam
bnhouses in his precinct but he was not sure Of IT,
and he never captured any, although the existence OF
ramblius -houses in that precinct WAS about as wen
known as the existence OF the Fifth Avenue Hotel
Another captain allowed seven panelhouses at a Inc 20
run in his precinct and his ward detective received sums
of money from these panelhOuses which douhtioss ne
divided with or handed to the captain When com
plants were ma against these panelhouses, patolmen
were sent from the station house by tie captain 20 lhe
opposite end of the precinct 10 search for te thieves
The same cartan took forciby from woman in her he'd
some money diamonds, and when she sued him
for Them up in his that she gave them to
him of her free WILL Another captain tried To OBTAIN
money restaurant keeper who was in The habit OF
supplying houses of prostitution with meals; accepted
money from the keeper Of house OF prostitution ana
said he would take presents although he would not insist
upon them; tried to ct money from man who was
keeping liquor in his precinct and falling 10 do So
procured his arrest a trumled up charge, It being
charged that Ire was In the custom Of receiving money
from all the liquor stores. The same captain
when citizen commenced to investigate the business
of panelhOuscs procured assault 20 lie made upon the
citizen which nearly fatal to him harrsed and per
secuted him in every way and directed one OF his OH
GERS to arrest an into his t1onhousc two women
OF presumably good character and certainly InobthHVc
behavior who were walking with this man, pcatcably
IN the streets aud when nc found that the man himself
was not brought in, berae1 and abused the women ana
finally discAaI gcd them. The same captain hmseu WAS
showp gauhlng-house in full operation, 10 suppress
which he took no steps, aud which finally arrested
py the Headquarters police. From the evidence deed
II would appear another captain took 800 ia" ihy
from the keeper OF entirely reputable place OF "md~e
ment one indeed fIequcnted by the highest class " So
in the city fOrg "a
order at the door which II was his duty 70 40 Another
now no longer the force, was seen entering panel
house by "a newspaper reporter. Another exposed
20 the Committee great doubts whether Mike Murray.
known as big Murray" did OF did not keep gambling
house in his precinct the fact being notorious the ex
stence Of Grace Church II should he stated that the
fact that Nike Murray kepta gambling house was repeat
eddy announced in the newspapers. This same captain
vigorously objected To the Headquarters detectives g"n
into his precinct to perform the duties with which they
were charged by the law and by their superior Ulcers
and threatened the captain of the detectives that If he
caught any OF his ia his precinct again he would
kick them out. Another captain, on his own
showing discharged prisoners without any warrant
whatever OF law and unable % any disorder
any violation O Excise law in the low
concertrooms disorder aud violation OF Law which your
Committee their very first visit saw at glance
Another captain, happily longer AN ornament to the
force robbed and pluudcred the city out OF horsefeed
breks saddles blankets and other small pieces OF
plumber hat he could lay his hands upon.
And yet under the law, the Commissioners, no matter
how DESTROYS they may OF doing justice, not able
to lay hands non all OF these Several OF the
captains OF whose guilt the Commissioners entertained
no doubt escaped dismissal owing to failure OF echni
cal evidence. The Committee do not wish to he
understood as saying that there good captains
upon the police foc few still continue there, aud
better officers than Of these would De difficult 70
hnd in any police force. bat the general average Is dis
gracefully low and nearly, not quite half the captains
the police force utterly untrustwothy and utterly
unnt TO hold the positions they do.
Among most potent canses Of the increase Of crime
in the CITY Of NewYork has been without doubt the in
efficiency and corruption OF the police force, which Is
demonstrated ny the existence and nOurshng OF certain
classes OF crime TO which would more particularly IN
vite the attention Of the Legislature
PANEL HOUSES.
They simply places for robbery most inge-
iously prepared, and carried under the guise
of prostitution. II Ia the opinion Of every competent
witness who has been examined upon the subject.
including the great majority OF the captains them
selves, that the continued existence OF panel house IL
absolutely mposs bio in any precinct without the direct
coBnivance of the police, and particularly Of the cap
and yet is beyond all question that large mum
Der OF panel have different times existed IN the
CITY OF Sew-YOrk AT one time, in the Eighth Pre-
cuct one out Of four sergeans received personally
twelve complaints OF roberes Ia panel houses seven OF
which affected house, No l43 Merccr-st aud
r,s,s we're made. An ex-detective expresses the
opinion that since the Of this Committee began,
panel houses have ceased to exist temporarily a least
in and il not improbable, from what we can
learn such the fact showing that nothing but
tie Will WAS lacking enable the police TO close those
places.
PROSTITUTION
Houses OF prostitution doubtless must exist, and will