The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-25
CARROLL CONDEMNS POLICE.
Says Whole Department System is
 Rotten.

Says Whole Department System is
 Rotten.
 Anthony Carroll spoke from the band stand in the green last evening to gathering of about fifty men, his re- marks dealing with the police force and it's "so-called" meritor1ous service. What he said had to do mostly with the past service In the department of the present superintendent of police, and personalities were freely interWov- en in his address.
 MT. Carroll said that he spoke only as a citizen whose duty it was to call the attention of his fellows to false practices in municipal government. He also said that he would tell the truth and challenged any man to contradict him.
 IL makes no difference what mans name is, said he, if he violates the law he should be punished yet it is known that there are many such in this city who go unpunished even though their crimes are known and not denied. But there should be no favorites. The po- lice of New Haven cannot do their duty 1 because of politics. They are brought 1 to book for political arrests, and yet, on the other hand they are regarded as no good if they do not make certain 1 record of arrests. An officer wants to do his duty, but if he does it and makes arrests as he should, he is at once re- moved or transferred or suspended. Yet the law applies just the same, whether the offender be a college pro- lessor or working man, student or bum in the slums.
 We have lately had a trial of police matters. I don't believe in what the commissioners did, but they followed l their predecessors, which is always the way in politics, and rewarded their friends. The system of the whole po- lice department is rotten, and you | can't expect anything different. The police should be hired as mechanics are hired and not given a life job, as at present, winding up with pension. A man who cannot save enough in twen- ty-ffve or thirty years good work to live on the rest of his life does not deserve a pension. The present police system suppresses crime, and is wholly incom- petent.
 MT. Carroll talked at considerable 1 length on the old police Investigation of 94, instituted by Rev, Dr. Newman Smyth and Secretary Thrasher, and claimed that in newspaper accounts of raids the police, including the superin- | tendent, were covered with glory" while in reality all the work was done by the law and order league and paid for by the city. No promotion is ever made in the department without poit- | ical pull and men are at times arrested on grave charges and released without trial. Two books are kept, and what appears on the "blotter" does not all ways become court record.
 "There Is nothing between the chief and me-" said MT. Carroll, "only I have sued him for attacking my character. What has any man in the world but his reputation? It is more honorable to drive a knife into man than to print a false character about him. If Anth- l ony Carroll can give you facts which YOU cannot contradict then he is doing his duty as a citizen. I interfere in nothing but what belongs to me as citizen, for the poor pay the taxes and l nobody else.
 The speaker went on, charging that | improper and inaccurate police records were kept that officers received perqui- sites of every sort and kind and made trouble If refused that policemen sometimes slept in livery stables when supposed to be doing double turns, and that the department was making, instead of expressing criminals MT Carroll read lot of testimony copied | e,o,,, +rioI procan5ippS of some wears