The morning call., 1894-07-29
NEGLECT OF DUTY.
Police Court Clerks the
Culprits.
VIGOROUS PROTEST MADE.
Order of the Board of Supervi-
sors ignored.
NOT TO BE FOUND WHEN WANTED
Attorneys, the Police Department
and Citizens Generally Gail
Loudly for a Reform.
NOT TO BE FOUND WHEN WANTED

a storm has been brewing for some time
past against Police Court clerks, and now
1t has burst i'll all its fury. In other
words, fOrbearance has ceased to be a
virtue.
Police Court attorneys, the Police De-
partment and citizens who have at one
time or another been desirous of becoming
bondsmen for friends, are all kicking and
demanding that some reform should be
instituted, and that at once.
An order was passed by the Board of
Supervisors in 1891, section l Of which
reads as follows:
The clerks OF the Police Courts shall be In at
tendance In their respective cOurtIOOms or
offices attached thereto from O'Clock A. NJ I'M
til 4 O'Clock Z. NJ. every day In Tie week. sun
days and holidays excepted, 10 perform the
duties imposed and as required by law. 1he
clerks Of the Police Courts shall also alternate
so Jhat one clerk IN turn snail De IN attcnuAhCe
at the courtroom or Office attached thereto
every evening ID the week from 1880 TO 10
O'clock anu on Sundays and holidays from 10
O'clock A. NJ. uutil = O'clock f. NJ. Tor the pur-
pose of taking bail bonds when the sufnclency
and qualification OF the suretieS are examined
into and approved.
The cIerks OF tbe Police Courts shall not ac-
cept suTetles on bail bond except Within the
places and within the lime prescribed by this
section.
4uiS OIucT mas D66u dllUHSu W oiuA III W
lnn0cuouS deSueiude, and the army OF
kiekers is wondering what on earth 1t was
made for if there was no intention OF lis
observance being honored.
For short time after it was made there
was a valiant attempt on the part Of the
clerks to obey its provisions, and one OF
them was usually to be found al the place
and times prescribed. But they soon
cooled off and things went on the same
annoying and careless manner as before.
Two or three months after the new
regime took office howl was raised at the
nOn-observance of the order, and it had the
effect OF making the clerks attend to their
duties properly. Then they began 10 stay
away for some nights in the week and
finally quit altogether.
If the police courts should not have an
afternoon session, 1t is a rare occurrence
to see the clerks any time during
the afternoon and they are never
there 10 the evenings or on Sun
days. The result is that attorneys and
bondsmen are compelled to go on hunt
throughout the city to find Judge or
clerk at his home. Sometimes they are
successful in finding them at home. and
at other times they are not and the
prisoner. who may be a reputable citizen
charged unjustly, or upon flmsy charge
of battery or dis turbing the peace, has to
remain in prison all night
The absence of the clerks is more keenly
than at any other time. from the simple
fact that there is no court on Sundays.
One night this week Attorney Z. c,
TrusSeau desired to get client charged
with misdemeanor released on bonds.
He had two responsible bondsmen with
him, and they hunted from Z O'Clock till
IL for Judge OF clerk without finding one
at home, and the bondsmen went home
diSgusted and the client had to remain all
night in the City Prison. That IS only an
hat tab rN1D ,l,v
every night.
@ One OF the attorneys. in speaking of the
matter Yesterday, said: There hasn't
been a clerk near the City Prison at night
or on Sundays for months. Tie only thing
one can do is to go tC the house of one of
the judges or clerks, and very often they
are not to he found. There is one excep-
tion, Judge Low, who lives on the corner
of Pine and Franklin streets, and he is
always found to be home after O'clock.
There are more discharges signed by him
than all the other three Judges put to-
gether
CLERKS can accept bonds in felony
cases if the arrest is made on warrant
and the amount of the bond is given in the
warrant but not to exceed $1,000. They OF
course can accept bonds in all msde-
meanor cases.
'If we knew that a clerk was on duty as
prescribed by the order and had not our
bondsmen ready In a felony case where
the bonds do not exceed $1,000. we could
get an order from the Judge fixing the
amount Of the bonds, and on presenting
that order and the bOndsmen to the clerk
or duty he could accept them and the
prisoner could be released.
In New York there is Judge always
stationed al police headquarters for the
purpose of accepting bonds, and all an at
torney has to do is to drive there at any
hour OF the night with his b0ndsmen and
have The bonds accepted"
Detective cambridge, who looks after the
Police Court records, complains of the in
accessibility of the records during the after
moons and evenings from the fact that the
Police Court clerks are absent. 1t has the
effect very often Of hampering the criminal
business Of the Superior courts.
"The complaints" said the detective.
THAT constantly come in here from peo-
pie who want to 90 on bonds are annov-
ing to say the least of il, and it is time a
change was made. A man should not
be compelled to bear the hardship of re-
naming in prison from Saturday night till
Monday morning because a Police Court
clerk is DeGlectful of his duty. But that
often occurs, and there is DO occasion
for it."
Sergeant Healey. clerk of the Chief and
Police Commissioners. also denounces the
Police Court clerks for their neglect of
duty "If patrolmaD, said the sergeant,
commits a breach Of duty, no matter how
slight, he is promptly roasted and taken
before the Commissioners. But here are
Police Court clerks, who have nearly
double the salary of patrolman, persist
entity and fagrantly neglecting their duty,
and no one takes the trouble to bring them
10 book. 1t may be because Of their pOlti-
cal pull"
The Police Court clerks are appointed
by the Board of Supervisors, and tits for
that board to see tnas they perform their
duties satisfactorily. Will the board