The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-02-04

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There is an easily accounted for preju
dice in the breast of every criminal against
policemen. Most every professional thief.
of whatever class, has suffered some gross
injustice at the hands of some detective or
other police officer. The officer may have
arrested him on false charge through
motives of revenge. or gain. or to bring him
self into public notice, or he may have NAL
treated him while under arrest. or perhaps
secured his Imprisonment by giving false
testimony. All these abuses are of common
occurrence. The criminal has no means of
redress against such abuses of the power
granted by law to police officers Not one
police justice in hundred will entertain
the plea of criminal for redress against an
officer. The character of the complainant
with the indignant denial of the officer is
always taken as sufficient to refute the
charge. 1t does happen sometimes that a
justice has the courage to rebuke an officer
when his conduct has been extremely
fragrant, but the justice is usually made to
suffer for his temerity. When an officer is
criticised in public by his fellow officers it
is pretty conclusive evidence that he has
sunk low indeed. 1t is this disposition on
the part of the police powers to shield it's
own members from the consequences of un-
lawful acts that causes the lip of the profes.
sional criminal to curl in derision whenever
the words justice and impartiality are used
in connection with the administration of the
laws. The longer he follows the crooked
way the more of Injustice he sees. until
finally he comes to look upon the law as a
cloak for official corruption. and upon him.
self as martyr. But instead of seeking
to avenge himself upon his prosecutor, he
takes his redress by harassing the public.
Thus the sins of the corrupt or brutal officer
are visited upon the heads of the people
who support him. The best organized
police departments in the country are not
free from those evils that grow out of the
abuse of the powers delegated to them by
the people. No matter how conscientious
the chief may be he cannot keep corrupt
and incompetent men off of his force. The
powers that make him can as easily un-
make him and he must therefore obey the
commands of that power; and that power
is most sure to have its corrupt element and
that element must have its representatives
on the force no matter how unfit they NAV
be. But it would not be true to say that
the criminals prejudice against police
officers is unqualified. The officer, be
he detective. chief of police or patrolman,
If he is efficient brave and conscientious,
will be respected and well. spoken OF
by those who have most reason to feal
him. 1t is to be regretted that there are not
more of such men in the police depart
ments. They are real preservers of the
peace, while their opposites. recruited from
the real and quasi. criminal elements of So
ciety. are the breeders of crime and Grim
inals. One of the most misleading anG
pernicious theories ever put into practice
is, that thieves. thugs and libertines make
efficient suppressors of thievery, thugisn
and libertiniSm That this theory ia rroo