The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-18
FIRE AND POLICE COMMISSIONERS
LAW.

The proposed amendments to the
Board of Police and Fire Commission
ers law is attracting considerable at
tention both inside and outside the
legislature. Some propose the repeal
of the law outright, a much greater
number favor the proposed amend
ments and a few favor the law as it
stands. Some of the last class named
insist. however, that the law might as
well be repealed as have it amended
as proposed.
Whatever else the legislature does,
we hope, for the efficiency of the po-
lice and fire departments in our chief
cities. the law will not be repealed. It
is better to have it with all its pres
ent imperfections on it's head than
not to have it at all; but infinitely
better 10 have it with the greater
number Of its imperfections removed,
as would be the case if the proposed
substitute now pending before the leg
islature we're adopted. Some fear
shat if the power to dismiss men from
the police or fire departments shall be
granted to the chiefs of said depart
ments that power viii be used arbi-
trarily, without sufficient cause, and
perhaps for political reasons. To those
who take that view of the case we
would say that the substitute for the
law provides that the chiefs in dis
missing a man may only do so for
cause, and statement of that cause
must be made to the board of COM
missioners in writing. These chiefs
are themselves made liable to arbi-
trary dismissal by the unanimous ac-
ton of the board and may be dismissed
for cause by a majority of its
members, so that with this check
on the chiefs we see little labil-
ity to abuse of the power it is pro-
posed to give these heads of depart
ments.
If it shall be said that a weak board
may be appointed, or some members
may be purposely appointed upon it
who are weak. and that the weak are
liable to become the creatures of some
stronger character on the board or in
the city government. we admit that
all that NAV be true. Human con-
trivances in government are necessar-
lily imperfect, and the bulwarks that
men erect against abuses are not al
ways sufficient to carry out the OBJ
ject proposed Under such circum-
stances men must do the best they can
and trust a little to time to regulate
some of these things. Over and above
all officers and all boards appointed
by law in our commonwealth pre-
sides as a great and final arbiter on
the actions of officers and political
parties, an enlightened public senti-
ment. If abuses arise under the law
by the arbitrary and unjust acts of
men, public sentiment will reprove and
finally dismiss the unfaithful servants
and ultimately will correct even the
imperfections of the law. or at least
greatly modify them.
Meantime our chief cities require
more efficiency and less insubordina-
ton and scandal in their police and
fire departments; more confidence
among the men and more respect for
the officers; and that this can be Sc
cured by the proposed amendments
to the present law admits of no doubt.
The chiefs of departments being under
the supervision of the board of COM
missioners, and all under the infu-
ence of intelligent public opinion, it is
reasonably certain that abuses will
not long run unchecked.