St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-04
The Aldermanic Committee on
Police Seeking a Loop q
hole for Garvin.
Lack Of Records Held to Ac-
count for Failures to. i
Catch Thieves. IiyJ
The Chief Instituted the In
vestigation and Must Be II
Sustained,
The Hustling Sixth Ward
Seeks More Manufaetug-
ing Institutions. 80

When the present chief of police took
charge of the department he informed
the mayor that the department had not
been. conducted in the way he was going
to run things. There were not, be said,
sufficient records and statistics in the
Office to correspond with his ideas of
how police department should be man
aged. The mayor notified the council,
and the matter was referred to the
committee Oh police. The report of
the. committee has been delayed from
week TO week for the past three months.
1t was reported a member of the COM
mittee stated at the first meeting, when
the alleged charges were considered. it
would not do to eXOnerate eX-Chief
Clark, for the reason that such action
would reflect on Chief Garvin.
AT the meeting OF the police commit
tee yesterday report, which, as one
of the members said, made mountains
out of m0lehillS, was handed in, to-
gether with a. resolution, both of which
will be presented at the board of alder
men meeting tonight. The report is as
follows:
We find the records of the police de-
partment have been imperfectly kept,
and there is an entire absence OF such
as usually pertain to departments of
like character, and which would be of
value to an incoming official. Prac-
ticaliy no correspondence has been pre-
served or copies of answers to letters
sent out retained. For instance, num-
Der of letters have been received asking
for description Of colored man named
Dennis PickenS, accused of the murder
of John Smith on March Is, 1892. No
copies OF descriptions sent out can be
found, and thSir abSenSe is a serious
hindrance to the present authorities.
Neither is there any descrip-
ords On hand of any murder
cases or other serious crimes committed
i'll the city nor any deaths by accident
or suicide. No proper register of police
officers giving dates of appointment or
other information has been maintained.
No record book of property stolen or
recovered can be found. AID index
book of stolen watches and record of
ment. but both disappeared at the term
of the change Of the administration and
have not since been returned. Nearly
all photographs known as the rOgues'
gallery have been removed. The claim
is made that the city provided no funds
for the acquisition of these pict-
ures, and that such as came into
the hands of the detective department
were sent to the chief of detectives as
an individual by personal friends con-
nected with other agencies throughout
the United States. .o
That in their collection, preservation
and arrangement he had expended of
his own funds a considerable amount.
Property taken from persons arrested
was laid aside subject to the direction
OF the court or other authority as to its
disposition. Whenever any of it was
directed returned or delivered Ito any
person receipts were taken, and these
receipts have been removed from the
Office. IA 80
The committee is Of the opinion that
statements made in the newspapers to
the effect that John Clark. is guilty of
criminal intent i'll connection with the
disappearance of record books of stolen
property is not justified by the facts.
The resolution accompanying the re-
port was as follows:
Resolved, That careful examination Of
the records left at the central police station
by exChief of Police John Clark and found
by Chief Of Police Garyin upon assuming
charge June shows their utter inadequacy
for the purposes required, and justifes the
keeping of proper records of the police de-
partment: that the system adopted was i'm
perfect and inaccurate, and that he did not
give TO this branch of the department the
thought and attention its importance de-
manded: of Chief 6arviu that many impor-
tant police matters no record could be found !;
that exChief John Clark, who by the nature
of his Office was responsible for the faithful
performance OF duty by all officers under
him, including the detective department.
was extremely negligent
Aid. Cullen objected, and voted
against the report and resolution being
adopted and recommended to pass, but
Aids. Ingersoll. Copeland, Hickman
and Jensen voted for it, and it was
declared carried.