The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-17
TOO MUCH CnINuING
Chief Murphy Will Give the
Police Department a
General Shake-Up.
SERGEANYs AND ROUNDsHEN TO BLAME
PatroImen Only Partially Do Their
Duty and Discipline is
Relaxed.
SERGEANTS AND ROUbDSMEN TO BLAME

Chief Of Police Murphy has decided to
give the force a shaking up This tact
crept out at the meeting of the Police
Board yesterday afternoon when Clerk
Robinson read a communication from the
Chief to the effect that he had suspended
Pafrolman Thomas Dougherty OF the
Gregory street station "conditionaly.
Dougherty was patroling Grand street
last Thursday night when thieves broke
into the feed store of Hugh Dugan,
charged the safe with giant powder, blew
it to pieces and made off with $l2 and
some valuable papers.
Yesterday, shortly after twelve o'clock.
the Chief received word from Captain
o'Brien of New York Police Headquar-
tiers. that he had arrested a notorious
safe cracker called the big Kid. This
worthy had been seen to cross the ferry
the night of the robbery. The manner
Of effecting an entrance to the feed
store and the blowing open of the safe
convinced the New York-men that it
was the work of the big Kid"
Chief Murphy was sore when he
learned of the mans arrest and he at
&onee decided to give the local police a
shaking up that will at least keep them
awake LOT d week VI Two.
In a general order sent u this morn
ing the Chief calls attention to the fact
that patrolmen in all parts of the city.
have been doing practically no work
lately. He does not hesitate to say that
a part of the inactivity is due to the
fact that some leniency is extended to
the men just around election time.
BY personal investigation the Chief has
found that the patrolmen instead of cover
ing their beats properly and protecting
life and property, get together and chin"
at every opportunity. In his order the
Chief does not blame the men wholly
for this conduct, but says it is due to the
unwarranted leniency of roundsmen, SER
geants and even Captains toward the
men. The patrolmen, the Chief says. are
doing their duty in an Indifferent man
ner, some only making a pretence at do
ing regular duty.
Sergeants and roundSmen, ii Is further
charged. are too intimate with men under
them, and because of that intimacy allow
the men to escape punishment or reprs-
mand for petty violations of the rules.
Another bad plan which the Chief says
cannot be abandoned Is having the ser
geant or roundsman who go Up with each
platoon to stay out only three hours and
thea return TO the station house and allow
AAAE Lila vi lLt uH6h 10 AO OUT q InIEE
hours. In future the sergeant and rounds
man who go out with a platoon are to
stay out the whole six hours, and are TO
pc held responsible for everything that
happens IN the precinct while he IS out.
The object Of the change IS to keep a
sergeant out on patrol all the time In
stead of having the patrolmen unmatched
Tor an hour or more while the fret SER
Eeant out is returning to the house 10
relieve his side partner. The sergeants
n roun6smen, II Is alleged. have be-
come too Intimate with the men TO have
an efficient service. 1t is further asserted
10y the Chief that the sergeants and
roundsnen have been going from one
peat 10 another IN a mechanical sort Of
way turning mp at the same time every
Gay or night as the case might be. As
q consequence the patrolmen are on the
Lookout for them and usually have
sense enough to be on hand
In future II a Sergeant or reundsman
suspects that a certain nan Is not prop
cry pstroiing his post or negiecting his
uuty generally. he Is to watch that sus-
peet and II necessary remain on hts pest
the whole time TO see that he does his
ahty properly AS another means OF
catching men who do not do their duty.
Sergeants or roundsmen may. with the
consent Of the Captain, make their tour
IN citizens dress.
To break up the. intimacy which ex-
ISIS among the officers and men the sew
erai SaDtains under the order are di-
rected 10 change each Sergeant's platoon
20 that he will be dealing with men
With whom he is not well acquainted.
The Captains. too. come in for a shak-
ing owing to the apparently demeraliz-
go Gondition of the force. Captains are.
until the force is in s~hipshape again. to
be held personally responsible for every
onense committed in his precinct. A
neart breaker for some of the CAPTAINS
Is the final paragraph of the orders. It
Is TO the effect that the Captains must
an at times patrol their precincts person.
any and see TO 1t that Sergeants. rounds
men ana patrolmen and all others under
ms charge are doing their duty.
II affairs do not take a satisfactory
turn N a lew days it is likely that some
Captains will be transferred.