The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-28
THE CITY'S POLICE FORCE.
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plntnt, and then allowed mfS. Nusent to appear on substituted warrant as a yieartous offering for the salvation of her husbands license: but MT. McWil- Hams refused to answer any question which approached the territory In which he was personally concerned" In the absence therefore of any oxpla- nation from the prosecuting agent. the complaints of the police, 10 which his attention was courteously called. re- main unrebutted. I beg leave. accord ingly, to suggest that all the portion of inc evidence relative to tee prosecu ton, or rather misrepresentation, of H. auor cases, be referred respectfully to the county commissioners, provided they are not themselves providentially legislated out of ofrfce. (D Admitting all reasonable difficulties in the way of the enforcement of the liquor law by the present force of police, on the ether. hand I would cite. the testimony given by several of the best officers that, 1T the department really meant 1t, these laws coulid be enforced. as other laws are enforced; pp. IA, 157. 225- G, Sc. The testimony of, some officers, particularly from the second precinct, betrayed either an inability to see, or a wilful ignorance of their duties, which discloses the need of weeding out incompetent or corrupt men from the service. Real difficulties, which should be admitted, In the enforcement Of the qlauor license law. inexcusable reasons for such failure, and also the need of more effective work, will all be made clear if the testimony is followed and weighed with regard to few more open and persistent lawbreakers. A complete history of the case of Mr. T. J. Coffee, for example, would illustrate afl these points. including also the friendly interest of commissioners in a lawbreaker. Testimony to the same effect lies before you in the case of an- other defiant lawbreaker, who, If the police could have succeeded in enforc- ing the law, might long before this have been sent to suitable cell in the county jail instead of being elected by confidlng ward to seat on the board of aldermen.
 Another cause for the non-enforce- ,1nent of the license law is shown to be the lack of any proper inspection of the premises where liquor is sold. By many saloon-keepers, who perjure themselves in their application for li- cense, there has been and is an open or thinly disguised violation of sec tion 3,O74 of the general statutes, as well as of chapter 112 of the public acts of 1891. It is in evil dence that the purpose of this vii olation of law is to afford facilities for still further law-breaking in doing a Sunday business: pp. 7S-9, 2S0. I re- spectfully ask therefore that in view of this testimony the board of police com missioners issue positive order, to be obeyed, requiring of the police at ire uuent intervals an inspection of all premises where liquors are sold, and reports to the superintendent as to whether the law relative to living con- nections, and also the screen law, are effectually complied with or not. Such action, If honestly and consistently made, would of itself materially tighten the task of the police in the enforce ment of the Sunday law.
 III.
 I submit that the evidence is explicit and abundant in proof of the fact that the presence upon the board, and ac- ton of commissioners who are doing wholesale business with the saloons, has had a demoralizing effect through out the police force, and is one direct cause of the fion-enforcement of the li quor law; and further that, so long as said commissioners remain on the board, it is difficult for the superinten- dent and captains to keep up i'll this important, particular the discipline and efficiency of the force. I would still further submit in this connection that if,, in regard to any one law, or system of laws, the discipline of the depart ment cannot be kept up, the inevitable tendency is to lower in all other ways and with regard to the enforcement of other laws, the standard and discipline of the force. Paralysis of the force in any one line of duty cannot be tolera- ted without danger of thorough debili- ty and impotence.
 In evidence of this demoralizing ef- feet of commissioners who have busi- ness interests in the saloons, I cite among others the following pages of the testimony: p. 13, "A hindrance somewhere; the work has fallen off" pp. 93, 9s, Lack of zeal on ac- count of having two men on the board that is making their living from the li- quor-sellers;" p. 104, "This general re- mark among the officers, What the devil is the use to do anything, the commissioners don't want us to do any thing, pp 112, 123, T have said myself, no use to break my neck when it wasn't wanted pp. 126, impression that protection is given through the busi ness of such commissioners to saloon keepers; pp 200, 269, 274, 275, General talk among officers that on account of certain commissioners better let sa- looms alone;" 3O7, advice given by older officers to new ones that having two men that were commissioners that were interested indirectly with the sa- looms, they thought it would be best not to pinch certain saloon-keepers, es- pecially man that had a pull: that two of these men were in power and were liable to hurt uslf they could" and other remarks current in the force to the same effect.
 As sufficient to establish this point, as well as other hindranc to the exe-