New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-18
u-rrr TIE Police TAKE TIE HINT9

WILL THE POLICE I-ahE LIE HINA
We regret to learn from both the lion. Johh
McKeon and Inspector Byrnes of the detective
force that there is no conflict, mlsunder-
standing or even unpleasantness between the
officials of the DistTct-AttOrney ONCE ana the
police We had hoped there had been de-
cided antagonism aroused by the recent acton
of the former which was so positive reflection
on the latter. Suspicion by the Dlstrict-Attorney
of the honesty Of the police Ill many matters
would very much improve police adInlnlstra-
ton in this city and lead to the prevention
and suppression of much immortality and crime.
In the last ten years, during which The IRIB-
UNE has been persistently exposing the terri
BILE evils, especially affecting the poor, OF LOT
terry and policy gambling, we have found that
the great obstacle to success III Graduating
the curse arose from the amicable relations
between the police and the Dlstrlct-Attorney
Office by which policy of do nothing was
carried OUT. The recent action OF District
Attorney McKeon in employing private lde-
tectiyes to do what the police would not do
was an assurance that the old alliance was
broken I'D, and led us to hope that 1t was a
plain intimation to the police that they were
expected to perform long neglected duty.
Possibly they will probably they will not
There are more than 100 gambling houses
in tbis city where cards are used to fleece
players. There are, OF lately were, more than
600 lottery and policy dealers who defrauded
the moor out of pennies and dollars by false
and secret drawings in Louisiana, Kentucky
and Georgia-all of them swindles of the bald
est kind. Mr.. McKeon's term of office is hardly
long enough to collect the evidence and pros
ecute all these offenders; and there are not
enough courts in the county to try them II all
were indicted. The District-Attorneys power is
not one for preventing crime, except by deter
ring the many by the vigorous prosecution OF
a few. and that is what he means to do II there
is any sort of significance in his late rad.
But the police force is power organized
specially as one for the prevention OF crime as
well as the suppression of prohibited abuses
Indeed the prevention of crime Is the surest
and cheapest form of public protection. The
average policeman seeing pickpoeket Id
crowd watches until he commits the offence
instead of arresting him before the act and
thus protecting the public from robbery.
Now policy and lottery dealing are forms OF
gambling especially obnoxious as well as pos
itively criminal. The police know that,-every
man of them, as well as every Captain, In
spector, Superintendent and Commissioner.
The police know that in this city there are
several hundred gambling houses OF this char
acter. They know the location of every one
of them each policeman knows every place on
his beat; each Captain knows all the shops in
his precinct; each Inspector has list OF every
such bell in his district and the superintendent
has list Of all in the city. We do not honestly
think that there is single Commissioner who
has all this information at hand but that fact
does not give us any exalted opinion OF the
Commissioners ability or desire to do his
duty. Practically, as we have said, the Dis
trict- Attorney has not the power TO close all
these places if he should devote his whole
time for his full term to the work. But the
notice have the practical power and the legal
authority to do il i'll any twenty -four hours
they HAY select for the work. 1t is a mere
matter of giving plain. unequlvocal notice to
the dealers to quit, and that notice should be
a general, simultaneous raid on all the shops
known to the patrolmen.
That raid will never be made so long As the
police have any reason TO think the DISTRICT
Attorney does not doubt suspect ana distrusV
them; and for that reason we regret that any
pleasant and complimentary passages between
Mr. McKeon and Mr.. Byrnes should leave