The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-29
THE OTHER FELLOW
Police Officials Place the
Responsibility for Pol
icy With Great
Precision.
CHIEF MURPHP's REPORT
He Wants 10 Be the Cenlin Of
Our " Nearly Perfect
Police"
CHIEF MURPHP'S REPORT

submitted to the Police Board a report
relative to the successful raid recently
made upon policy headquarters at No.
1886 Morris street by men from the Sher-
ifes Office.
The chief places the blame upon Cap
tain Farrier and his men. He does not
give any names of men who are in the
policy business or whom he suspects. The
report follows
HEADQUARTERS POLICE DEPART
MBNT.
JERSEY CITY. July 20, 1896.
To the Honorable Board of Police Com
uiSSionerS:-
Gentlemen-In reply to your resolutions
dated July 15, herein stated. I would re-
speetfully submit the following report
Resolved. That the Chief of Police be
and is hereby ordered to report to this
Board. at its next meeting. how it Isl
that the county officers successfully raid
ed a notorious policy den at No. 1856 Nor
rs street, a little over four blocks from
Headquarters. and succeeded in capturing
seven prisoners and policy paraphernalla.
including stamping machines, official
stamps and other outfit
I would respectfully say as to this reso-
luton that / presume the county off,
cials you refer to got information that
policy writers We're to meet at the place
indicated, and made the successful raid
you speak of.
The fact that No 1876 Morris street is
but about four blocks away from Head
quarters, as you say. makes this office no
more responsible than If the location was
in the northern part of the city four
miles away. The responsibility of the
neglect of the police. if there is neglect,
in not discovering this policy joint lies
with the officers of the First precinct.
in which the arrests were made. I at
tach herewith the report OF Captain Far;
rier and his detectives on the subject.
and would call your attention TO SUCCESS
otrf- i'm. ic
are significant on this subject
Resolved. further, that the Chief re-l
port whether anyone has been doing Dusi-s
ness as policy writers in this city, who
they are, how long and in what Places
and all such information as will lead to
the suppression of this traffic, Which is
worse. than highway robbery.
port thaf erse sls GV i The poqa re
and cradle wherein lottery policy was
created and matured, nearly sixty years
lished here, and has continued with oeca-
sional Interruptions up to the present
tine.
For many years there was no law
against lottery in this State Lottery was
openly drawn in the lower part of Grand
street by men of respectability and high
gentlemen was afterwards member of
Congress from this district. In July.
1893, eighty-three policy shops that rad
done an almost open business for a long
time were closed BY fFITs uefgassr7,4ssat an +
since then no place used expressly for 4
policy shop has existed in this city Prior
to 1894 it was difficult under existing laws,
to get convictions for this crime. Dur
ing that year a law was passed for the.
suppression of lottery that fully covers all
avenues of escape and makes it possible
Ia keep this crime down. and get evil
dence sufficient to convict. Sncrtly after
the passage OF the law of 1894 steps were
taken in this elfice for lis enforcement.
Since May. 1894. forty-six PERSONS have
been arrested for lottery gambling and
received punishment as follows:-Impris-
o1lnent amounting to twenty-six years
and six months Rave been imposed. Two
were fined fifty dollars and cost of court,
and two were baileed for tri'sl and forfeit
pected Of being policy writer's were ar
-ssled and discharged for lack of proper
ev-dntss
As to The rames of those engaged in the
who have been convicted es suc1 IT
would ret m bs proper to meqtion,, the
however. thai four of The men arrested
by the countv officials recently have been
arrested by this department for rolicy
In reply to your INQUIRY as to the
places where policy is played at present,
! would report that at the present. writ
particular place the game was being
PLAYED. The writers who gather the
plays go into barrooms, workshops rail-
road yards and even upon the street
of the day the writer meets his en-
ployer at a place previously agreed upon
and gives I'D his book. This ace of
meeting is changed frequently, so as TO
avoid detection.
Every effort has been made in this Aof-
fee to suppress lottery playing The
five detectives detailed to headquarters
are constantly at work investigating
crime, and when not engaged which is
very seldom, are sent out on policy.
The Captains are told by me almost
daily to be vigilant in the suppression
of policy and all other kind Of gambling
and they are directed to use all the means
at their command to that end.
In reply to your request for informa-
tion that would lead up to the sun
preston of the lotter traffic. would
respectfully inform your honorable body
foreement of that law. and all other
laws, and for the betterment of all con-
cerned, TIE Chief of Police should be
empowered TO assign to duty, and trans
fer any police officer TO or from their
respective positions, according to their
rarls IN the force, al any time that IN MS
the interest OF the service. W "a this
power the Chief of Police would be able
to prevent omissions of duty on the part
of policemen that cannot be legally es-
tablished at Q trial. but can be detected
by a police officer
Police business in many cases. Is very
in that 1t cannot be proven that an off,
Ger really is negligent, although 1t may
be suspected he is so in some kind Of
work
The Chief of Police with this power
conferred on him could be held by you.
honorable body to strict accountability
for the enforcement of law and an i'm
provement upon our at present nea rIy
perfect police system
It Is very seldom necessary to strike
a good horse with whip, but the horse
should know the whip is in position to
be used.
Very respectfulIv submitted
BENZ MURPHY.
Chief of Police
Captain Farrier's report, which accom-
panies the chiefs. is modest one Tt
merely shakes all blame from his shnuq-
ders and places it upon Sergeant Charles
McGfnness, who at the time of the raid
was the First Precinct detective
Sergeant McGinness, in his turn. ex-
plains that his time was so much taken
up acting as court officer and attending
to other business that he had no time to
look for policy sharks
The reports are said to be unsatisfac-
tory to the Commissioners and 1t IS re-
ported that this afternoons session will
be an unusually lively one.
Commissioner Feeney is loaded for hear
and will. it is said. give the police some
interesting information concerning policy
playing in the lower section of the citv.
Mr.. Feeney will. 1t is said urge his col
leagues 10 give Chief Murphy the power
he asks to transfer members OF the De-
partment when he likes.
MAITERs oFF4cT