National Republican., 1877-04-12
CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE OF DUTY BY
THE POLICE BOARD.

THE POLICE BOARD.
The report OF the Board Of Police Com
missioners in "the matter Of charges
against the Major and against sundry
members of the detective corps. (which
has Just been given to the public, 10 re-
markable document. It is fearfully and
wonderfully made up. and clearly with
view of demonstrating chow not to do It,"
This report, which ia signed by every
me mber Of the board, starts out by saying
that they were severally and individually
"instruc,ed by the President Of the United
States to investigate. without fear or favor.
without prejudice or partially, certain
rumou and allegations against the morale
of the police force, which had been pub
lished during the last days OF the preced-
ing board" How do thts, five wise men
Of Washington obey the instructions?
Why, by dismissing peremptorily 'all
charges growing out Of alleged occur.
rerces within the term of the former
board and conhning their inquiry ''to
matters and things occurring within the
period Of its own tenure Of office"
In other words, they propose to ignore
the past entirely. with all this load of
shortcoming and dereliction of duty that
has been heaped upon the principal Off
GERS OF the police force; to say to them
"well done, good and faithful servants"
when II is apparent TO all unprejudiced
minds that they have not done well, and
to give them new lease for the exercise Of
corruption and bribery, until such time As
THE REPUBLICAN, shall again feel bound to
take up the cudgel, and strike the head Of
the evil doer whenever and wherever 1t ap-
pears.
This report is . lame and impoient
thing, and will not be satisfactory to the
Law abiding citizens OF this community,
who want to see sin and crime uprooted.
Finding that the police force was not
doing its duty In the matter Of sbating tho
crime OF gambling, TUE REPUBLICAN
took upon itself the work. and through Its
labors all Of the gambling houses have
been closed. In working to accomplish
this result 1t became necessary to state
plain truths in plain way about the po-
lice force. 1t was no pleasure TO do 80.
We would have preferred to inform the
public that the officers and men who were
intrusted with the suppression Of crime
were doing their whole duty. When VIC
did, however, expose their shortcomings,
we expected that the officers charged with
dereliction would have Q speedy and q
full trial. We have been waiting to hear
of that trial for weeks and weeks,
but 1t has never come. There was
no opportunity offered to examine
and cross. s.examine witnesses. Instead
of pursuing the straightforward course
which all honest men expected them to
pursue. these five Police Commissioners
constituted themselves 3 grand Jury in.
quest to ascertain II there was reasonable
cause for putting the accused officers on
trial for other charges, and whether q
prijna .1acie case could be made out agains,
them for failure to perform duty or for any
violation Of law or regulations. They
determined to ignore the specific charges
Of neglect Of duty made In January, 1877.
The board had not then determined to con
fine itself ito matters and things occurring
within the period Of Its own tenure o.
office"
In pursuance Of this plan the board wen
to work as grand jury. Each individua
member was grand juror. In fact HI
was more than that. Each man constituted
himself an individualized Star Chamber
for the report admits that the investig gator
was conducted by each for himself on tn,
Star Chamber theory. Policemen wsr'
summoned ''confdenually" to their pri
vste offices; men were taken OF thei
beats for this purpose, and the reserve
were called from the station.houses. Blu
these innocent lambs In brass buttons knew
! nothing but rumors; and they could Civ
} the grand Jurors nothing but surmises
. And the grand jurors aforesaid affected t
| believe this. We say affected" advisedly
, because If they are possessed of ordinsr,
, intelligence they could not have believed |,
a Their whole report shows that they wer
0 either lamentably ignorant Of the manne
4 in which to proceed with the iavesti cation
4 or they willfully blinded themselves to th
J. mode of getting at the truth. In eithe
a event they are not fit to occupy the respor
4 sible positions of Police Commissioner
The whole tenor Of the report leads to th
irresistible CONCLUSION that they did nj
wish to reach the truth.
}. 1t won't do for the board to attempt I
k make scape-goat Of any individual on tn
n ground that he did not adduce the proof {
/. the alleged abuses on the part of the of
. GERS Of the force. The abuses were pointe
], out, and II the board had been in earnei
l. 1t would have left no stone unturned to g
o at the proof
of Nor will II do TO make the absurd pie
f. OF remissness on the part of former board