The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-28
POLICE SHOOTING SQUAD.
OUTCOME BOARD CONCENTRATES a
VIEW DEPARTMENT..

1s IL Net Only to Teach the YeunE Policemen
How to shoot. but to Rursish E1pstt xvi.
aenos when Shooting IL Done-Boara 20
Decide Cases or Deiinauent Policemen or
hasa en- Thursdny-Feu Biueceats Bounced.
II Chief McCullagh thinks as the present
Police Board does, and II tho Police Board Of
next Saturday thinks as the Chief thinks, then
there will be shortly n now squad in the do
%partmont, known as the shooting squad. The
board SO resolved yesterday. It's time Is getting
too short to do more. It must leave the carry.
ing out of the resolutions to those who como
after It.
Tho shooting squad is not necessarily to do
any moro shooting than the rest Of the force.
II Is TO superintond tho shooting of the others
and to exercise q new and important function,
that Of furnishing expert evidence in cases of
homicide and suspicious shooting, in which the
want Of ouch evidence now causes trouble and
occasional miscarriage of Justice.
Police Surgeon John ID. German, from whom
the proposition comes, and who, In Commits.
sioncr Andrews's plan, Is to DO the head Of the
new squad, is an expert on pistol and gun
shots. Ho has paid sharp attention TO this
branch Of surgery in the last few years, has
attended every autopsy in tho case of a death
from q gunshot wound and sent to the Police
Board yesterday his conclusions in tho form of
n report which Mr.. Andrews laid before the
board.
Tho report goes over the ground from the
passage of tho resolution requiring all pc
licemcn to carry one kind of pistol, approved
by the board. They carried all kinds before
case of {. riot they could not have been kept in
ammunition. Not b per cent. of them all were
them that revolver with steei.bluo finish were
chosen because it was better than nickel plat.
ing, lasted better, didn't reflect the light and
didn't shine in the dark to attract nm eneIny's
fire, police, appeared tor practice with tho blue.
ing all rubbed or with emery paper and the
80 that tbs pistol was ruined. Their shooting
correspondent. Tho doctor quotes cases OF a
killed a boy across the street, of one who Tired
at u dog in tho gutter and shot u boy 100 feet
string that held a mad dog instead OF the dog
itself and lot the animal loose, and OF still an
other sbn ce Mar' u intending u to shoot oIoa t raoi sro dog n
ported sick with "A shot wound in his hand.
Fled his pistol at full cock in his hip pocket.
When he was asked why he did it he wanted
The report holds TINT the pistol practice
drilled at the target once a week, the whole
iorcs four times a. year instead Of once. The
81 these drills. and besidcs. would investigate
al shooting cases with serious result. Med.
dlesomo interference OF incompetent inVesti-
gators" reported the doctor, NOW frequently
destroys the evidence" Commissioner An.
drews mentioned an instance in which homi-
evidence showed conclusively, could not have
fired the shot: since it came from the opposite
direction to the ono he was in. Yet without
this proof he might have been convicted. There
was only his denial against what seemed strong
The squad is 10 consist of a surgeon, a Ser
geantt, and an acting Sergeant. two roundsmen
and the requisite number of patrolmcn.
The board asked tur Nh 0ll for nnrnsgnrv
81 blanks Res5 and tb staaii rSsisy e So Gn" Gn,t the ed New board fosGs
York, BTooklyn;, Long Island city, and Rich.
and Brooklyn. and the bridge police. All the
pest of the greater city's territory will have to
ments can be made. by mounted men or bicycle
men. 1t Is altogether probable that the bicycle
the s &c the Of fo sSonam Of 4 IN sd pol nS o aRPss'i rssso on
The roads in Queens county are now mostly
1 %Rses sdmmss q and 's, MheeI men. can MiS ge (. around Soa. II
FiashinE, iaEm,aiosas. Hiehmond Hin, p %nd the be
become members Of the greater city's force. as
they had hoped. The charter does not include
specifically, provides that the terms of the
village, policemen shall END with the year.
when the trustees who appointed them 20 also
The board resolved to, reinstatc ex.Detective
n men, and: iaoniSs i: :po nIieelns; 0 Dennis Di b Y. Gan.
yrin, who resigned, but as Commissioner Par
ker was not present. the matter was laid over
until he could be heard from. Four police
men. George W. Hart of Madison street, Ed
yard j.. Rooney OF Old slip, James Walsh of
Mulberry street, and John Hill of the East
,mhirty-hfth street squad. were dismissed.
The board announced that II would sit on
Thursday at the trial of offending policemen,
and decide the cases on the spot. The practice
has always been to delegate one COMMISSIONS
to take testimony, the whole board passing
Judgment when tho stenographer,s notes were
written out. But to clear the deck for the new
board tho Commissioners for once will decide
the cases offhand.