Omaha daily bee., 1895-03-24

charges against said commissioner or COM
missioners with the said appointing board.
and such board shall within reasonable
time investigate the same upon testimony
S be before I It. "a ana shall % msb max nd
and any and all vacancies In said board by
reason of death, resignation or removal
the unexpred term, and ali vacancies from
whatever cause shall be so filled that not
more than two of said board shall be of the
All powers and duties connected with and
Incident to the appointment, removal. gov
ernment and discipline of the officers and
members OF the fire and police departments
OF the city, under such rules and regulations
as may be adopted by the Board of Fire and
Police Commissioners, shall be vested in and
exercised by said board. A majority of said
board shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction OF business. Before entering
upon their duties each of said officers shall
take and subscribe an oath, to be filed with
the city clerk, faithfully. impartially, hon
estly. and to the best of his ability, to
board and that in making appointments or
considering promotions or removals he will
not be guided or actuated by political mo-
tves or influences, but will consider only
the interests of the city and the success and
effectiveness of said departments. The
Board of Fire and Police shall have power
and it shall be the duty of said board to
appoint a chief of the fire department and
such other officers of the fire department as
may be deemed necessary for its proper
direction, management and regulation, all OF
under such rules and regulations as may
be adopted by said board Said board may
remove such officers or any of them when
ever said board shall consider ana declare
such removal necessary for the proper man.
agement or discipline, or for the more
effective working or service of said depart
ment.
The Beard of Fire and Police shall also en-
ploy such firemen and assistants as may be
proper and necessary for the effective serv,
ice of this department., to the extent and
| and council for that purpose will allow.
BOARDS APPOINTINE POWER.
The Board of Fire and Police shall have
the power and it shall be the duty of said
board to appoint chief of police and such
other officers and policemen, all of whon
shall be electors of such city, to the extent
| that funds may be provided by the mayor
and council to pay their salaries and as
| may be necessary for the proper protection
and efficient policing of the city, and as
| may be necessary to protect citizens ano
| property and maintain peace and gooc
| order. They shall also have the power ant
it shall be the duty of said board to appoint
| a police matron.
| The chief of police and all other police
| officers, policemen and police matron shall
| be subject to removal by the Board of Fire
and nd a Sc naop,ed sifn bv sa9
board, whenever said board shall consider
and declare such removal necessary Tor m
proper management or discipline or for tht
more effective working or service of th'
| police department.
|
and police to adopt such. rules and reegua
| tions for the guidance of officers and met
of said department. for the appointment
said officers, men and matron. as said boart
shall consider proper ana necessary. IN
| Board of Fire and Police Commissioner
shall have the power to enforce the attend
| ance of witnesses and to administer oath:
to them in the same manner and viii
in the case of magistrates exercising .civi
or criminal JURISDICTION under the statutes
The Board of Fire and Police Commits
sioners shall haye such other powers an'
snGh 9hep v dfs as may aeS be
| missioner, before entering upon the dutie
of his office. shall give bond in the sum o
| for the faithful performance of the dutie
| of his office. the same to be approved b.
the city council and filed with the cit!
Sec. Sec. 2. That section 1l5 of said act a
heretofore existing be and the same i
| Sec. 3. Whereas an emergency exists TO
| the passage of this act, therefore the sam
! shall take effect and be in force from ant
| after its passage.
| The emergency clause contained in sectio
| was rejected by the house, though 1t l
yet possible that it may be replaced by tn
| senate. 1t is claimed however. by certain
| friends Of the bill that for reasons of thei
| own they do not wish the emergency claus
| attached
The radical changes proposed by the bill
will be noted and appreciated by the peopl
| Of Omaha, without a reproduction or tn
| existing law. The first notable feature Q
| the bill now pending is the one which enable
| the state board, which is to be dominated b.
Attorney General Churchill and Commis
sioner of Public Lands and Buildings Rus
| sell, to summarily remove all four OF tn
present fire and police commissioners an
appoint in their stead three electors Of tn
! city, one whose term of office shall eXpir
! December 81 of the present year. the secon
at the end Of the year 1896 and the thir
| December 81, 1897. This provision OF tn
law is mandatory. Three new fire and polio
commissioners must be appointed With
thirty days after the passage of the act Th
mayor is excluded from the board and conse
uuently from connection with the polio
force. The bill reduces the membership c
the board from five to three, two of whor
| may be of the same party, and strikes ou
| the provision of the existing law whic
makes the mayor ex-oficio member an
chairman of the board. 1t deprves the por
| ulist party of all recognition or participa
ton in the police commission.
1t is required that the chief of police an
the chief of the fire department shall b
electors of the city of Omaha. If the bi
| should become a law, with the emergenc
clause the new Board Of Fire and Police Com
| missioners would have a lawful excuse fo
dismissing so efficient an officer as Fire Chic
Redell for under the laws of the state MI
Redell cannot become an elector OF Oman
for some little time yet to come.
1t seems to be taken for granted by thos
friendly to the bill that 1t will pass tn
senate unchanged, although number
| republican senators admit privately that the
are supporting the bill very reluctantly an
against their best judgment.