Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-18
THE POLICE COMMISSION
It Has Hard Work in Re-
ducing the Force.
THE NINE MEN DECAPITATED
An Executive Session Found Neces-
sary to Hide the Opinions OF
the Board.

The police commissioners met yester-
day afternoon in adjourned session for
the second time for the purpose of cutting
down the r,lice force by the removal Of
nine men, pursuant to the provisions OF
the retrenchment ordinance.
Mr.. Dexter was the first member oi
the board to put in an appearance, but
he was almost Immediately called away
to see some of his friends in the Council
chamber. During his temporary alb
sence, Messrs. Collins, Lewis and Knox
arrived in the order named and brief
conference was held with the Mayor in
the ante-room of the latter's Office, at
which the Chief was present. Mr.. Col
Inns expressed some surprise at seeing the
reporters present and intimated that in
his opinion the session ehould be execu-
tive. This view, however, was not up
held by q majority of the board. Mr..
Dexter soon joined his confreres and for
thirty minutes the quartette discussed
the question in undertones, with the evi-
dent intention of sounding each other in
the hope of coming to mutual agree
ment, Mr.. Collins and the Chief being
closeted in the clerks room. Not the
slightest inkling however, could be
ascertained as to the condition of affairs,
as outsiders were vigorously excluded
and the doors of the ante-chamber were
closed to all.
At 2:35 O'Clock the commissioners
fled into the Mayors private Office and
the meeting was called to order. AT
this iuncture delegation of the visiting
grocers were introduced by City Clel k
Teed, who was escorting them around
the city hall building, and the session
was interrupted for few minutes. After
they had left, the proceedings com.
menced with the reading of a report from
Chief Glass to the effect that he had sus.
pended Officer P. D. Lahart for conduct
unbecoming in member of the force
until the further order of the board. Or
motion of Mr.. Knox the Chiefs action
was confirmed.
The application of T. G.. Meyers for O
transfer of the license for No. 344 East
First street, now in the name of J. Eib.
enstein, was granted. The application
of Joseph Virgil for permit to obtain a
new license for saloon at No. COG Macy
street, was referred to the Chief under
the rule. A couple of demands amount
ing in the aggregate to $3.50 were ap-
proved as read.
Mayor Hazard asked the pleasure of
the board in regard to the removal of
nine men from the force, as required by
the retrenchment ordinance.
Captain Knox then. rose and addressed
the board at some length. He said that
he had thought the matter over consid-
erably and he had come to the conclu-
sion that it would be placing the commits
sion in an embarrassing position to re-
move nine men from the force without
cause. He had talked the matter over
with several of his legal friends and was
impressed with the idea that to obey the
order of the Council in this instance
would be establishing bad precedent.
This was the first Board Of Police Con-
missioners under the new charter, and
he believed that it was the intention of
the trainers of the constitution of the
city to place all matters relating
to the direction of the police de-
partment in the hands of the board.
Although he WAS in favor of carrying
out the requirements of the city ordi-
nances to the letter, he thought it was
not the duty of the board to do 90 when
the ordinances were in conflict with the
charter, and ss he believed that the
board was the best judge of the number
of men required to maintain the efficiency
of the force, he did not think that it was
right to order the force to be cut down,
when in the opinion of the board such
action was detrimental. As he under
stood it, the salary fund from which the
police force was paid was raised by
licenses and fines, and the only way to
keep saloons and criminals under sur.
veillance was by keeping up the efficiency
of the force; and he felt, as an indi.
vidual. that it was his duty as a public
official to see the efficiency of the force
upheld.
The board had already stated in the
past that the force should consist of 100
men, and when it first took charge there
were over 100 men. Since that time the
force had been cut down to ninety, and
then to eighty, and it was possible thai
before the present board went out o
Office the force would be cut off entirely
This was a matter that the Council
should not interfere with, and it was ex
ceeding it's power in passing the ordi
nance, and it was the duty of the board al
public officers to see that it was protested
In his opinion the force should be in
creased so or 60 per cent. instead of be
ing diminished. He therefore moved
that it be the sense of the Board of Po
lice Commissioners that q reduction O
the number of the force would be detri
mental to the best interests of the public
service, and for that reason the Board O
Police Commissioners respectfully re
fuses to make any reduction in the mum
ber, except for cause.
He stated that he was willing to make
o concession in so far that the board
would not fill any vacancies created by
any discharges for good and substantial
reasons; but he believed that was as fai
as the board should 60. He recognized
the fact that the board, with the excep.
ton of his honor, the Mayor, ran the risk
OF decapitation; but he failed to recog-
nize the fact that the Council had the
power to make him do anything which
he believed to be wrong; and if the
Council gave the matter the proper con.
Sideration he thought that it would see
the matter in its proper light.
Mr.. Dexter in seconding the motion
said that he agreed with his colleague in
this matter, and wished to add that il
seemed to him that as Board of Police
Commissioners it was their duty to look
after and protect the members of the po-
lice force, who were in their charge. The
time had come now when the board