The morning times., 1896-01-20
WILL HAVE ITS EFFECT
Detectives Praise The Times
Fight for More Men.
HOW THEY ARE CRIPPLED
Views of Experienced Men Which Re-
fleet the Stand The Times Has
Observation-Disclosures Has Out9rOwn
Its Police Force and Increased In
Criminal Population.

The Washington detective corps is in
strong sympathy with the persistency with
which The Times has printed reports OF
crimes and urged a material increase in
the police department.
Nearly all tue detectives on the force were
at ponce headquarters last night when this
theme came up, and the men were a unit
in expressing oomDiendation for The Times
in the siroBg light which IL has put up i'll
behalf OF the detective bureau and the
police force.
DctecIiye Lacey thought that attention
had been called SO forclDly TO the neeus CT
the department that public opinion would
demand that more IoIlcemen ana more de-
tcctiyes be tmp.oy ea, and that IL would be
impossible ior tie authorities to Whilst and
the strain.
Detcctivc Horne said that the detective
force was strong enough for The " ashington
OF a few years ago, Eut was totally in
adequate 10 tie EsCCs OF The Washington OF
today, inasmuch as The city had not only
grown amazingly in extent and in Iopu-
lation, but that the presence OF the race
tracks and similar institutions had fenced
to attract hundreds OF men whose presence
greatly increased the percentage OF criminal
population as compared 10 tie Ia w-abiding
population.
GRATEFUL TO THE TIMES.
Detective Weldon thought that every
policeman ON the force owed a debt of
gratitude to The Times for its cxpo.ar. of
frauds, and for Its fearless and impartial
way of calling attention 10 the defects i'll
the police system and the amount OF terri
tory which each man bad To protect
Detective Helan thought that as long as
the force WAS acknowledged by the authori-
ties to be inadequate. il was perfectly proper
for newspaper TO point out just where and
how IT was inadequate. II was, perhaps,
slightly uncomfortable for the authorities
to be reminded that people outside OF the
department saw weak places In he-police
structure, but procedure OF This kind would
cure those weak spots quicker than any
other method.
Detective Carter said that he could take
off his hat to The Times, even though the
paper had sometimes got down under the
ribs of The department and showed up
flaws which the detectives thought they
alone knew, and which they were some
times too jealous to conceal.
Detective Gallagher thought substan-
tally the same thing, and believed that
the needs nf the department would be
remedied, now that the press and the public
were acquainted with them.
Detective Boyd said that IL the number
of thieves was permitted te-increase- by the
establishment of places OF refuge for them
at convenient places just outside the city
limits. whence they cnuld make forays
into the town at will, that the number
Of police aud detectives ought also 10 be
increa sed.
PROPERTY RIGHTS DEMAND 1T.
Detective Boardman thought that the
property rights OF citizens demanded that
the police force be strengthened. Wash
ingion was not the quiet, stdate old town
that il was "A few years ago.
Detective HartiGan said that improve
ment after improvement was being made
in the departments of other cities and
thieves were being forced TO the wall in
those places, and that they east around |
for Some place where they would meet !
with the least opposition. The department |
Of Washington had been slow to make |
changes and Improvements and there had |
been no increase of consequence in the num-
Der OF police and detectives in recent
years.
Detective Rhodes thought that the time
was ripe for a strong increase in the num-
ser of men. Crooks Were coming in from
,ther cities and the number of cases turned
ver to the detective bureau was growing
aily greater. The only way TO stem
he tide was to increase the number of
lcn and to exact the same degree OF ef-
Iciency from those men already on the
orce.