Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-10
Compromising Felony.

| L rom tue 81 LOUIS Gl0De- Democrat.
The suspension of the majority of the mem
hers of the detective service in Washington and
the probable abolition of that department Of the
| police result from the fact that criminals arc
rather encouraged than discouraged by this spe-
cies Oh legaliZed gO-betweens. The detective
| service In che sense has become almost as val
liable to the professional thieves as it is TO
! those individuals whose property it interest
itself In restoring to the rightful owners fer
| the regular percentage Ii it were moi for
certain class Of detectives the burglary husi-
ness would suffer from greater difficulty than
it does in the disposition Of plumber 4 prom
inent Washington citizen said the other da,
| that 1.-THE Developments of the past month
showing the collision of detectives with crooked
men seemed almost incredible" ANY one can
see at half glance that men who make living
by negotiating for the return of stolen property
are interested in the Increase of the business
! Both the thieves and the victims arc necessary
| to them, and they treat both with the Difference
which dealers usually pay to valuable custom
ers, their relations with the thieves being, If
anything, more confidential than they are with
| the victims.
1t is not intended here to condemn every de
teCtIve as a dishonest man, or as one following
dishonest calling. Those actively Interested
| in ferretng out crime and bringing criminals to
Justice are engaged in very different work
! from that OF those who are employed in COM
lciOHS however. are, II
we mistake not. largely in the majority They
| can Justly plead as an excuse for their calling
| that they are sustained by the community for
they are. When the average individual is robbed
O1 anything valuable he is more interested i'm
getting it back at the lowest negotiable price
than he Is In protecting society by doing what
he can to place tine thief in the penitentiarv He
can. IN case the criminal is a professional almost
Invariably secure the return of his property in
good condition by paying about 40 per cent of
IfS ,.1r
wise and the avarice Of the fence" being estt-
mated at about 90 per cent. The thieves and
detectives many of them, take great pride in
living up to the spirit as we'll of the letter of
their contracts.
1t is evidently to the interest of society to
put an end to this kind of business Ii there
are any laws against this species of compound
| ing 1elony they are never put in force. The
occupation has bad influence on the detec-
tive, as he is likely to prosper in business in
ceas the identity and furthers the safety of
the felon. and his employment involves a
sanction of crime. In altogether too MANY
cases he is separated from the criminal by so
thin partition that the difference amounts to
| nothing. The gradatiOns of humanity are so
close and continuous that it is difficult to say
| just where the line between the good and bad
classes can he drawn. The consequence is that
these frequently creep into the forces for the
repression OF crime who ought to be in the
u
ought to be employed to deal with criminals
than are SO engaged. It is not an attractive
calling, and those gravitate to it, of course
who find in it the most profitable or congenial
thing they can do Nothing less than change
| OF conditions can prevent this pressure from
prevailing to greater or less extent.
How, then. are the conditions to be changed.
so as to not only secure better means for the
repression of crime, but to induce sufferers by
| theft not to compound felony? 1t has been sug-
gested that communities resolve themselves in
| TO Insurance companies and make good all
| losses thus taking away from the individual
the Incentive for permitting: the thief to escape
punishment II he will return the goods for q
consideration. II this theory were practicable
It would tend to throw the whole of the detec-
tive and police energy In the proper direction,
namely, that of capturing the criminal and pun
| 1sh!ng him. The placing the cost of losses on
the taxpayers OF community would have the
effect OF bringing the machinery for the repres-
sion of crime uptO high standard Ofcxcellence
And In this last consideration is involved the
selection of officers who would not be bribed to
wink at illegal practices. such as running gamb-
ling hells, policy shops and other Objectionable
establishments.
What prevails to a marked extent In Washing
ton exists In various degrees in almost every
other city in the country. Gamblers bunko
men, and swindlers generally. are In a state of
constant negotiation or of settled relations with
| the authorities, while the thieves hold COM
| merce with the community at large. The brOk-
ers who transact the business. for the most
part. take delight in calling themselves detec-
tives. The phrase is made to cover multitude
OF rascalities. The condition of affairs is one
that demands thorough Investigation and radi-
cal reform. II the suggestion made above
should be adopted it would at least make gov
eminent do practically what it does theOreti-
cally-that Is, protect property.