The herald., 1895-05-11
POLICEMEN ARE DISCIPLINED
One of Them Dismissed, Three Tempo.
rarily Suspended
Officers Collins, Leveritch and Mcclure Hung
Up, While officer Shearon
Is Dropped

|
pended for violating the rules of the de-
partment were yesterday morning disci-
plined by the police commissioners.
The first OF the four men accused to be
hauled before the bar of the commission
was David Shearon. Chief Glass detailed
the occasion when the accused had pub
| licly slurred him as the head OF tho police
department. Shearon was on hand before
the commission. prepared to make
most vigorous defense. He denied the
charge against himself very strongly.
offering to disproye it completely if given
an opportunity.
Shearon accused the chief OF never nav
ing furnished him with copy of the
charges and he would for that reason
have the case continued. OH Ger John
I. Collins. himself under suspension for
another offense, was called to bear out the
charges against Shearon. Collins told
privately OF the times when his brother
officer had said that 'Glass ought to be
fired. He's been chief long enough, and
I'm not afra to say So" Collins in re-
ply to shearon's. comments. had re,
marked: The chief is a pretty good
man. He's always treated me all right. "
This was in reply to Officer Lennon, who
had commented upon a rumor on foot to
remove the chief.
In his cross,;examination. shearon
non and not himself who had slurred the
| chief. Shearon handled his case with
considerable legal skill.
Police Officer Lennon. the next witness
in substan,iation of the charges, stated
positively that he heard Shearon say that
cha hoped to God to see the day when
Glass was fred," that the chief was
down on his Urish) kind OF people
| and that he was q ber of the A. P.
A." The date Of the alleged conver sation
was April 10th. Cross-examination did
not shake the witness.
| Special Officer A. NJ. Smith, who acts
as private night watchman for the Childs
residence on South Main street, told of
| various occasions when Shearon had
spoken disparagingly of the chief.
Shearon was excused at this point to
secure the witnesses for his defense.
while the commissioners went into an in
formal inquiry into the alleged icharges
OF jobbery in connection with the pur-
chase by the council of site for the
proposed new central station.
Commissioner Prtle brought the mat
ter up and Chief Glass told of the visit
to his office upon the subject of President
Teed of the council.
Pirtle moved that the chief investigate
as to which OF his officers had originated
the rumors complained of. This brought
| on general discussion as to what does
| Ut uOeS nOG COUSUltuCc LdlklnR ulSreSpeCt-
fully of superior officer by member of
the force
The Pirtle motion to have Chief Glass
investigate and report was informally
agreed to.
The charges jointly against Officers Nc
Guire and Levertch were then taken up.
| Both men were accused OF having one
| night about two weeks ago made them
selves comfortable by wrapping them
selves in blankets (they are mounted
men) and resting for several hours in the
| grounds of the normal school.
| In their defense Mcclure and Leveritch
both admitted that they had b en upon
the normal grounds on the night in ques-
tion. They had, however. only remained
d few minutes and had not gone to sleep.
Neither had ever done that
kFor the accused men, Officer Marden
enth street and Grand avenue at 12:45 on
the night in question, while Officer Will
! liams said he had seen him at a Boyle
Heights fire at 10 o'clock.
| Police Officer John t. Collins, big and
husky, in voice shaking with emotion,
pleaded guilty to accepting petty fees,
| about "a, for services rendered to the res
taurant which supplies prisoners in the
| city Jail with their meals. and threw him
self on the mercy of the commission. In
a nine years service on the force he had
| never before been upon the carpet.
| Chief Glass spoke highly of Collins to
the commission, and then the big ex-day
| jailor was excused.
| The proprietor OF the Cosmopoli an res
| taurant. adjoining the city Jail, informed
the commission that Collins ha1 sug-
| gested to him the idea of charging 90
cents each for meals served to prisoners.
| he (Collins) to take 10 cents and the res
| taurant to have 35 cents He had agreed
to this proposition. thinking Collins
ought to nave something for his trouble
| in serving the meals. Collins had not. in
| his opinion, received more than So from
| this source.
| The board. after slight deliberation, de-
| creed as follows:
Officers Mcguire and Levertch we're
| ordered suspended without pay from May
9th to June 1st, both being also ordered
to hereafter serve as footmen. Officer
Shearon was ordered dropped from the
| force and Officer Collins was ordered
suspended for period of sixty days from
the date of his original suspension.
Commissioner Barham thought Col
Inns should be dropped for, thirty days
and never again be permitted to serve as
jailor. Commissioner Webber amended
to make it sixty days and that after that
time Collins be resortsd to his old place.
Commissioner Pirrle still further amend
ed. that Collins should be permanently
dismissed as all object lesson to the whole
police department. The Pirtle amend
ment was not seconded. Commissioner
Webber's motion was then put and car
ried, Commissioner Pirtle voting in the
negative.
Commissioner Webber opposed the dis
missal OF Shearon and a roll call was de-
manded, the mayor having previously
ruled that where there is no voting. the
votes must be recorded as HAVING been
cast in the affirmative.
A look at the city charter before ad-
iournment OF the commission, disclosed
the fact that in the matter of suspen-
sion from the force, either for tempo
rary period or permanently, it requires
roll call and two-thirds vote before
hereafter always be followed by the COM
mission.