The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-21


After the reading of the minutes the
communication from the city council
relative to The adoption of the finance
committees report, adding another
desk sergeant to the present force,
was read. AS the matter is now in
the hands of the city attorney, who
will draft an ordinance. no steps were
taken TO appoint anyone 20 ill the
position
Commissioned Coin reported that
Slfs95 was In the hands Of Chief De-
vine, the amount being derived from
the sale OF old hose and from fines.
An order vas made requiring the
amount to be turned over to the fire
committee, which is composed of Com
missioner Cohn, to be deposited to his
credit in some bank.
NO TYPEWRITER FOR DEvINE.
Mr.. Cohn also recommended that the
fire department be supplied with a
typewriter at a cost not to exceed SIS.
Commissioners Noble and Jennings
could not understand what possible use
the fire department had for a type
writer
Mr.. Cohn said the chief had a great
deal Of correspondence in connection
With the coming fire chiefs conven-
ton.
q don't think there is an Office in the
city" reJoined Chief Devine. that has
more work for typewriter than my
Office
The other members did not think so.
Tor both Messrs. Noble and Jennings
voted against purchasing the machine
and so Mr.. Devine must be content to
drive the quill instead Of manipulating
the keys.
SPECIAL. POLICE POWER.
When a communication from City
Recorder Emery was read, notifying
the board that Dog Catcher Davis had
qualified for the position and asking
that special police power be conferred
upon him, the question was Drought
up whether the board has the author
ity to confer special police power
Chairman Varian was of the opinion
that the board had no such power, and
pending an investigation several re-
quests for special authority were laid
over. In the case of the dog catcher
1t was not deemed necessary that he
should carry star, and accordingly
his request was denied.
FIREMAN CLARK'S DISCHARGE.
A communication from the chief of
the hre department relative to the dis
charge Of Fireman ]. j. Clark was then
read, as follows:
To the Hon. Chairman and Members
of the Board of Fire and Police Com
mission.
Gentlemen-I beg leave to report that
on April Z, 1896, 1 dismissed J. ]. Clark
from the fire department The imme-
date cause was that on the day above
mentioned, the said Clark was guilty
of using obscene, profane, disrespectful.
impudent and other improper language
in and about the headquarters of the
fire department.
That on the said occasion he was I'M
der the influence Of Intoxicating liquor
and acted in a grossly insubordinate,
oisrespectfui and disobedient manner,
ignoring the orders of the chief, and
the rules of the department.
Respectfully.
JAMES DEVINE, Chief Engineer.
EFFECT OF THE NEW LAW.
Chairman Varian said the suspension
or discharge came under the new law
So far as he knew there were no rules
governing such an emergency, but in
the absence of these there ought to be |
a RENEWAL of the case; at least that
was the contemplation of the new law |
The chief had power to make rules |
governing the discipline OF the de- |
partment, but the board must make /
such rules governing suspensions, dis |
charges, etc.
Commissioner Cohn believed that the |
new law contemplated that the chiefs |
action IN such matters should be final |
and that unless the board by MAORI !
" vote decided to review the case the /
chiefs action must be final.
Chairman Varian thought that a man |
who desired hearing had a right tc !
expect that the board review the case.
He did not think the law construed a |
review to mean a hearing, but simply
statement from both parties inter-
ested.
AS Chief Devine as well as Clark and
Byrne, the discharged men, were pres
ent an opportunity was given them to
make a statement to the board.
THE CHIEFS STATEMENT.
Chief Devine stated that they had
returned from a run and he was
standing in front of the entrance.
twenty feet away. There were quite
q number OF people on the sidewalk
at the time. The chief was standing
and conversing with a gentleman,
when Clark looked toward him and
made use of some foul expressions, the
exact language of which the chief
repeated.
The chief then asked Mr.. Clark into
thu Office and discharged him.s Clark
told him to get out of the Office; that
he would give him fifteen minutes in
which to vacate the premises.
CLARK DENIES IT ALL.
Mr.. Clark. who was present, said he
denied all that the chief had said and
had witnesses to prove that he used
no such language. The whole affair
was spite work, he said, on the part of
the chief, VINO had always borne ,
dislike TO him
BYRNE WANTS a HEARING.
Fireman Byrne, who was dismissed
from the department shortly after
Clark's discharge, appeared before the
board and asked that he be given a
hearing. He could prove that the
charge of using abusive language to ,
Lieutenant Mccarthy was false. He
had witnesses to prove it.
Chairman Varian informed both men
that the board would take the matter
under consideration and decide
to review the cases.
EXECUTIVE SESSION.
The boaro then went into
executive session and considered
the matter. When the door was
thrown open again Chief Deyine
entered and was informed that the
board had decided that all suspensions
or discharges by the chief, whether of
regular men or substitutes. must be
followed by an explanation to the
board. In the case of Mr.. Byrne the
board would expect the chief to file
the reasons for making the discharge
by next Monday night. No decision