New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-18
THE POLICE BOARDS REPORT
WORK OF THE FORCE FOR THE LAST
YEAR
AN ATTAcN oS THE BIPARTISAN COMMISSION
sYsTEM-ENFoRCEMENT OF THE EXCISE


LAW AND OTHER MATTERS
The annual report Of the Police Department for
1896 signed by Theodore Roosevelt as president was
presented to Mayor Strong yesterday. although u
Is dated February o. II a long report hut no
mention IA made OF tho auarrelling and nicFerns
that has been going on In the Police boaru io'
wear. Commissioner Parker does not agree WIN
parts OF the report. Changes IN the Ponoe
force the enforcement OF the laws the INTRODUCTION
of the Bertillon system of measuring criminals. the
excise law the need OF a better signal system ana
the abolition of police lodging houses for vasrah's
are subjects treated OF At length, ana there II
long attack upon the bipartisan system oi inc
DIS missals from the force in the WORK OF reo' s~
lion the report says:
In 1894 the total number OF officers dismissed from
the Department upon charges was na a. rpmher Of
cludes captains and sergeants. ana NUM- ~ ,bo
patrolmen. charges against whom grew our oi tsa;
revelauons C. ;s, e nCdng inspector and
2 captains and of the IS for the year: On ,Soc ho
missed by the new Board after May In lS ~ Ine
disnissals amounted 10 Al. making total OF 10, IN
little less thar twenty months th"t wv ~ M 10
IN wedding ont bad material is shown by com, com
parson OF these figures with the total nan dis
missed was o. in 1891 &c. in 1892 10. and in iSS H.
The enforcement of the excise law is dweh upon
with evident satisfaction. and the report declares
that cor the first time in its history the excise Ia"
has been thoroughly and honestly auni'"H'o'e" III
New York. The report says in part;
We enforced the law with rigid equity o upon va an
alike. In consequence we mace an Sne ve ac.uay
though we shut the saloons on SUNDAY. we dCtu'i'
made fewer arrests than had been made before
As to the ability Of the police force TO cope with
criminals these statements are made;
The fence and the bunco-steerer. the law-oreaKing
uouor-seiler the gambler and the keeper or a as
orderly house are no longer proleLen anu wy or In
formation 10 assist in their warfsre agalns, pute
lars highway robbie : ana murdeioI . T., ~ snirit
less So great has been the impro cement IN LIE SP
of the force that they have actually, aihough oe-
pors han Yer before against those criminals who
threatened life and property Fewer crimes i "i -
H. r;onuIation of the city. have occurred than In
the past while the total number OF arrests OF crn, IN
Which no arrest followed the commission OF crime
has decreased. ,,s
The want Of a better signal system is deplored'
and the failure 10 provide better system Is eN
planned in part as follows
bill authorizing the issue Of bends by me in fr
Of Newyork TO me extent OF sssS he Assembly,
without objection. Although no opposLllIotE We
sYtp}es committee We cannot state too strongly
the Imperative necessity for me es'shhsmn , in
a modern police signal and telegraph sFs'e'" I"
As to the effect OF the Raines law the report
says:
The liquor tax law has hshten,e,d our Ie{Gn
Requiring saloonkeepers 10 keep thelr ma. par ha1d
P0seh ha %er' met With Considerable difficulty owing
10 the establishment Of fake hotels ana tne
nnrcn9Ses sandwich in a hotel Is a guest that
Ne &c entitled n consider that SandWlch. "hetHei
eaten or not. a. a meal ana i ehu"V" w nav
all the liquor he wants with IT
The report declares that obstacles TO the detec-
t,on Of crime have been thrown in the way OF '1e
norce by the Controller by refusing 10 pay trans
fars ~ the Contingent Fund and compelling oe-
,ec,ives 70 wait for the money they eXpend In get
ting evidence The statement Is made that the
Controller of the city refuses to pay over 10 thS
Dcnartment several thousand dollars duly trans
forrea 70 the Contingent Fund by a resolution OF
tho Board of Estimate and Apportionment' pasSe1
carly in 1891. tc repay officers for disbursements
made in the year lNo ,
Tho attack upon the bipartisan system contains
the following statements;
The two worst features Of the bipartisan ACT are
~ e., rfaco that II divides responsibility; m
III Ie ~ large extent centring the power IN orc
49, and the responsibility i'm another anu IN .s
sa~on6 Mace that f. renders imneasufdpl! XII ~
~ already sufficiently difcult task OF eeltins ~
L.. ac,ion ont Of four-headed COMMISSION, IoI
a four headed Con mission II - hoadod
executive instrument. W IN .noS ohapcn ~ a
Conniesion there is always n eood chsnc &c a., o "
Sainnt and therefore AZ critical moments OF ma
IL. ,hot may he worse than even unWlse dN,iol
LS ~ The members will act together Ire
e. ,oorS of the bipartisan bill saw TINS anu Pinvs
,-idad against il with ingenuity which my ,
~ have surpassed Il they had deIipera,FlH ~
themselves the task of putting premium, ~ he
aesciencv in tho Police Department IN one oI M
ost in,oortant OF the Boards funcNoils tndt ~
rromotion they provided that no proihouon s w
K made except by the unanimous NotS ~. ~ ~ -
fSoa,d unless on the written reconiine hu'e - -,
~ chief. and the present Chief announces ut'
tnc circurnstance will he make such recon-
unue Ion 10 unless in the absence or death OF