The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-09-28


 We ask. thirdly. that in your esti- mates for the nett year you will include a reasonable amount for secret service fund. which the superintendent may have power to draw upon at his dis eretion, for the occasional employment of detectives from out Of town, when in his judgment the moral efficiency or the department may require II.
 Our reasons for this request may be briefly stated as follows: O. In a city of this size the policemen become 80 we'll known to habitual violators or the laws that even when an officer goes about in citizens clothes he is easily recognized and may be able to Ind out no more of the evil done under the sun than a traditional clergyman armed with n white cravat. For instance. in one saloon tand possibly In three neigh boring saloons) where our agents have not had the slightest difficulty In ob- taing entrance on Sundays. and have observed scores of men drinking at bars legally supposed to be closed. single electric button manipulated by a watch CT, or spotter of the police. at con- venient corner, has faithfully rung a bell three times when an officer or other suspiciously good looking character passed by. and subsequently, two sig nals have been rung when the danger had disappeared down the street. and the boys could begin again to fill the saloon keepers till with their weeks wages. while leaving their families to our charities. The chief could stop much of this business at a small ex- pense if he had the means of employing occasionally detectives not known among our law-breakers.
 Go The testimony which could be obtained by the superintendent in the use of such fund could not be met by the prejudices which may be excited against detective testimony when ob- tained by private citizens. (3) Such further equipment of the police depart ment Is required not only for the en- forcement of the liquor law. but also for the prevention of the robberies which are systematically practised by the policy writers and other professional gamblers of the city. We desire in this connection to acknowledge the honest and repeated efforts which have been made since our last communication to you by the police department for the suppression of gambling.
 To Captain Wrinn credit should be
 publicly given by us for his successful
 visitation of the historical gambling
 rooms in Lamar block. We have
 found him, as we'll as his chief, ready
 throughout this past summer to act promptly upon the information which we have been able to bring against
 policy writers Increasing acquaint-
 ance, however, with the methods of
 this theiving business discloses difficult
 ties which the police must labor un- der. without the aid of detectives who
 are unknown to the gamblers. This
 costly evil of policy writing has be- | come so rooted in and intertwined with | the politics of the town, men in the l confidence and employ of the gamblers
 have so seized upon every point of vantage for discerning the signs of the prosecutors times, and watching the | movements of the police, that, with | the best intention and care of the off, | cers, it has not always been possible l for them to make swift and successful descents upon the gambling frater- l nifty. ! >t ..'
 For instance-and I give this in- stance without intention of casting the slightest reflection upon any responsi-
 ble officer-n notwithstanding the precau- tion which I know was taken at police headquarters, a few minutes before a
 raid was made recently upon certain policy shops, a prominent packer of
 this game, politician likewise of | some repute for his ability to deliver blocks of votes, was observed hasten | ing from his office and running to sev- eral policy places, so that the discerning person who observed and followed him
 knew from his movements that some thing was up. In proportion conse- quently, to our confidence in the honest efforts Of the higher officers of the de- | partment to drive out these gamblers,
 we urge upon you the request to pro-
 vide them with such further aid and
 equipment as shall free them from | present unfortunate limitations and
 enable them to keep the policy writ CTS on the run. () An additional ar gument for this petition is found in the
 comparative ease with which we have
 obtained good detective evidence for the conviction of these gamblers.
 Learning from instruction of your records that occasionally the, police have been verbally and formally in- structed to enforce the laws, we have the more confidence now in asking you to make all such praiseworthy resolu-
 tions good by adopting the measures l of practical efficiency for which we pc tition, as well as by taking any other steps which may commend ther6selves 1 to you as effectual for securing that
 good degree of respect for law which
 may be maintained in decent town l according to the, same judgment of
 reasonable men, but which, as our sev- eral communications to you prove, is | not now secured under your admins tration of the police department.
 Respectfully submitted,
 l. k NEWMAN SMITH" President of the New Haven Law and
 Order League.
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