The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-19
RADICAL CHANGES,
Proposed by Courtney's Bill" to Reform
the Police and Fire Systems,

Special Dispatch to the Standard.
Helena. Jan. 1S.-In the senate commit
tee OF the whole tomorrow senate bill No.
10, introduced by Courtney, is coming up.
This is a bill which provides for radical
changes in the police and fire systems of
the city of Butte. The bill reads:
Section There is hereby created for
each city of this state having a popula-
ton of more than $4,000 inhabitants a
board of municipal service commission
ers, which shall consist of the mayor of
the city for which the same is created,
who shall be a member thereof and chair
man eX-offtcio. and two resident tax-pay-
| ing freeholders of such city. to be ap-
| pointed as members of such board by
| the governor of this state, and who shall
| hold such position for the term of four
years, or until the appointment and
qualification of their successors; provided.
that said commissioners so appointed
shall not be of the same political party,
and the terms of those first appointed un-
der this act shall be so arranged that one
shall expire. on the first Monday in Jan
uary, A. d. 1901. and the other on the
/ first Monday in January A d. 1903. No
member of such board except the mayor
shall hold any other municipal office dur
ing the term for which he is so appointed,
Sec Pit shall be the duty of such
board to exercise a supervisory control
over the police and fire departments of
the city for which the same is appointed,
subject to the city council of such city,
and it shall have the power to make and
promulgate such rules and regulate as
it may deem best for the management and
control of each department and for the
guidance and direction of the officers
and members thereof but such rules and
regulations, and any amendments made
thereto from time to time, shall be first
submitted to the city council of such city
for its approval, and the same may be
submitted, enacted, approved and pub
lished as any ordinance of such city, and
shall then have like force and effect. The
said board shall from time to time report
to said council the condition of each de-
partment and make such recommends
tons as it shall deem proper for the pro-
motion of the efficiency thereof. In such
board is hereby vested the sole power to
remove from office or discharge any Off
GER or member of either department for
any cause whatever
Sec. 3-There shall be appointed by the
mayor of each city of 5000 Inhabitants or
more in this state, subject to confirmation
by the city council thereof. a chief of po-
lice, captain of police, a chief of the fire
department, an assistant chief of the fire
department and such inferior officers and
such number of policemen anu firemen as
the council may from time to time deter
mine to be necessary or advisable. The
city council shall prescribe the duties and
fix the compensation and qualification of
such officials, subject to the limitations
contained in this act.
''Sec. At shall be the duty of the chief
of police:
"First-To execute and return all pro-
cess issued by the police judge or directed
to him by any legal authority, and to at
tend upon the police court regularly
"Second-To arrest all persons guilty
of a breach of the peace or of the viola
ton of any city ordinance, and bring
them before the police judge for trial.
"Third-To have charge and control of
all policemen, subject to such rules as
may be prescribed by the said board and
by city ordinance, and to report to the
board and council all delinquencies or neg
lect of duty or official misconduct Of po-
licemen.
"Fourth--The chief of police is hereby
empowered with the same power as con-
stable in the discharge of his duties, but
he must not serve a process in any civil
action or proceeding except wherein the
city is a party.
"Fifth---He shall perform such other du-
ties as the board by its rules or the city
council may by ordinance prescribe.
Section sit shall be the duty of the
chief of the fire department to assume the
personal command and direction over the
fire department of the city for which he
is appointed and all members thereof, and
over all other persons who may be present
at fires. He shall devote his entire time
to the duties of his office and to the end
of securing efficiency in his department,
and shall at all times have full power and
authority as member of the police force
OF his city, and as such he is hereby con-
stituted. He shall perform also such 9TH
er duties as may be required of him by
the rules of said board or by the ordin-
ances or resolution of the city council
Sec. 1.-THE said board may, by ma
jority vote, suspend for a stated period,
or remove from office or discharge any
officer or member of either department
for incompetency or disability, or for the
violations of any rules or regulations of
said department or other good cause; but
only upon written charges preferred
against him and filed with such board,