The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-19
THBCHIEF DOESN'T FEAR.
Mayor C1eve1and's Forecast
of Coming Police Reor-
ganiZati0n.
WHAT CHANGES ARE TALKED OF.
Chief Murphy Says That the Tenure
of Office Act Is an Ample Pro-
lection.

This paragraph from Mayor Cleveland's
interview with SUNDAY MORNING NEWS
reporter, published last Sunday morning,
has occasioned no end of talk in police
circles: e44
In the Police Department the Commissioners
are given great power and discretion. They are
authorized to reorganize the entire department,
the only restriction being that they cannot dis
miss from the department any person who is
retained therein by any provision OF law,
known as the Veteran Act 1t will be seen that
they can change the position of any man in the
department by reducing him or promoting him;
And they can dismiss from the department any
person not retained by the two acts above mem
toned. The act reads:--
'"The Police Commissioners provided for and
authorized by this act, shall have power, in ad-
dition to all other powers herein granted to re-
organize, in whele or in part, the Police Depart
ment of any such city, by the appointment, from
time to time, in their discretion, of all such num-
bers of officers and men, or clerks, or other per
sons as are now authorized by law for the Police
Department. or in any capacity whatever con-
nected herewith
There are very broad intimations here
that some important changes are in con-
temptation. sought Mayor Cleveland
this morning to learn more explicitly
just what reorganizations he intended to
foreshadow, but he was out of town.
OUTSIDE INTIAdATIoNs.
On the outside, however, rumors pre-
vailed that thorough overhauling of the
department is among the possibilities of
the near future lntimations is, are m
made to displace Chief of Police
Murphy with a democrat, and that
at any rate Police Captains Farrier and
McKaig will be reduced to make room for
other appointees. Broad hints are made,
too, that Colonel Gilbert p. Robinson may
be taken out of the clerkship and put on
active duty, and that his position viii be
given to Assembiyman James +. Norton.
It is known that Norton has been i'll
state of expectancy for months and that
he will suffer sad disappointment if the
white bearded Colonel is not made to sur
render his books to him. The detectives,
too. are to be put to active work, and they
may go into the ranks for patrol duty.
THE CHIEF INCREDULoUS
In the Department these rumors receive
little credit. They disturb the men, but
they profess to have no fears. Chief Muir
phy, who Is an authority among them on
legal matters as well as official, showed
no signs of trepidation when they were
repeated to him this morning.
is not in the wood. When the charter
was first drawn there is no doubt that
there was a general clearing out of the
department in contemplation. AS
originally prepared it relegated the de-
partment to the old condition of chaos.
at the will of the Commission
ers. That would have meant the
same want of discipline that marked
the department before the Tenure of
Office and Veteran Acts were put in the
statute books. The moment we dis
covered it, we made a descent upon the
Legislature, and insisted upon an amend
ment being added to the clause the Mayor
quotes His Honor has not quoted all of
the clause. He seems to have overlooked
the amendment. Let me read it to you:-
Provided nothing in this act contained shall be
construed to repeal or violate any law now exist
ing in regard to the dismissal OF any person from
the Police Department
REDUCTION is DISMISSAL.
"This," remarked to the Chief, "seems
to give color to what the Mayor says. He
admits that no dismissal can be made,
but insists that reductions can"
sAh," answered the Chief, ''your point
has been anticipated by the decisions of
the courts. In recent fire case the Court
decided that reduction is dismissal.
To degrade q man in the department is
practically to dismiss him from the place
he holds and appoint him to the lower
one So that the Board can no more de-
grade a man except for cause than it can
dismiss him except for cause"
In spite of the apparent strength of the
claim thus set up by Chief of Police Muir
phy for his men, a movement is undoubt-
ediy on foot that will surprise somebody
when it is developed.
The only one of the Police Commits
sioners who wes within reach today was
Mr.. Benson. When / saw him, he said
that beyond the possible organization of a
detective bureau, no such changes as are
indicated in the Mayors interview are
talked of in the Board. 1--WE propose to
make no general reductions" he added.
only changes that may be made in the de-
partment are those which may be made to
increase its efficiency"