The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-30
TOFFEY'S SHAKE UP
Police Department Agitated
to Its Very Centre By the
Policy Exposure.
MURPHYS REPORT UNSATISFACTORY
Commissioner Feeney Tells How
He and Christy Smith Stamped
Out the Business.

The report of Chief of Police Murphy 10
The Police Commissioners relative to the
successful raid Sheriff Toffey's men made
on a policy headquarters at No. 1876 Nor
ris street, which was published in last
nights News was the subject of gen
eral discussion last night in police circles.
The Commissioners consider the report a
most unsatisfactory document.
1--WE are all of one mind concerning il"
said President Abernethy, significantly,
last evening.
The report, after being read at the
meeting. was mot ordered placed on file
as is customary. 1t was referred to the
Committee of the Whole, which means
it is to be given further consideration.
There is, the Commissioners believe,
much information missing which the Chief
could nave supplied.
Chief Murphy says the report is as
complete as he dared make it. He holds
that he has no right to give the names
of men he suspects are employed or en-
gagged in the policy business. Nor does
he consider that he would be justified in
giving the numbers. of houses where he
suspects policy plays might be taken and
the books written up. He further con-
T60AS thai beiIS CbdltiiNSQ at las OAhSN
a great deal, he can only depend upon
the reports which are made to him by
fhe precinct commanders.
Captain Farrier's report to the Chief
concerning the Morris street headquarters
threw all the blame on Detective Nc
Ginness. who. because of his failure to
know of the existence of the place and
report it, has been returned TO duty as
TN O.-4-.- 49, - Ia11xad
to him alone to keep him informed about
the policy shops. The Captain relieves
the policeman who covers that post from
all blame, explaining that the policy men
had apparently collected at No. 1856 Morris
stxeet every day from noon until half
past one o'clock. It was a strange COIN
cidence. the Commissioners thought, tina
the post between those hours was lett
uncovered so that the policeman who
Sergeant McGinnis reported that police
court business kept him too busy to keep
track of policy sharks.
The several reports on the surface left
no one at fault, but the Commissioners
are unwilling to have it that way. Tney
saysthat while the man on post was at
dinner and McGinness was attending
TO his. other manifold duties. head
quarters detectives were strolling around
the First precinct, not infrequently three
and four of them, but still not one knew OF
the rendezvous and none of them has
been called upon to explain why. The
Commissioner propose having a further
Investigation made, and it is not I'M
likely that the Chiefs request to be
clothed with the power Chief Conlin of
New York enjoys, that is, to transfer
captains, detectives and sergeants when
he desires, viii be granted. The request
is to be carefully considered and 1t may,
it is said, be granted with the under
standing that the Chief at once shake
M the department and put new men in
precincts where it is suspected policy
playing is carried on.
There is considerable uneasiness among
the members of the department and all
further proceedings in the policy line
will be watched with keen interest. It
is said that If the Chief is given the
power to make transfers, there will be
new commanders in the First, Second.
Third and Fourth precincts.
Commissioner Feeney is particularly in
terested in the suppression of policy
playing. There Is no reason why it
should not be stamped OUT" he said this
morning. Il claim that when C. P.
Smith was Superintendent of the De-
partment he and / stamped 1t out pretty
thoroughly When Smith assumed COM
mand there were nearly one hundred
policy shops in existence. Together we
closed them and for a long time kept
them closed, and to this day they have
not opened on any great scale. These
are facts and are borne out in the report
made by the Chief yesterday. Let a
crusade such as we waged be inaugurated
and Jersey City will soon become too
not a place for nOlicy sharks