The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-11
) Minneapolis News. !
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POLICE lCI As JUDGES
In CASE OF ARRESTS MADE WITH
OUT THE PORTABILITY OF A
WARRANT
MAYOR AMEs' NEW RULING
Broadens the Scope of the Inquiry
to BE Made Into Accusations
" the Police De-
partmenf.


Mayor Anaes has ruled that the police
are sole judges as to whether a prisoner
shall be taken before the police court,
unless a warrant has been sworn out.
II. NJ. Joss, an employee of the R. M.
Barnes Fuel company, was arrested I'M
der suspicion of being short in his &C
counts and locked in cell at the central
station. JOSS friends were active in his
behalf last evening. with the consent
Of his employer. he was released by
Lieut.. Krum Weide, in charge of the CEN
trail station. Krum~eide says he as
sumed the responsibility of releasing the
man. Mr.. Barnes, he says, told him he
would prefer no charge, and there was
consequently no authority for holding
him. Joss name was entered on the
police station tab, and the charge of
embezzlement made against him. He
was locked up in Cell No. 4, according to
the same record.
The matter was later made known to
Judge Holt Of the municipal court who
declared that in ordering Joss' release,
Lieut.. KrumWeide not only violated his
duty, but committed a. criminal offense.
When a man is arrested and locked up
he is officially before the municipal
court, and the court is the only author
ity that has legel right to release him,
Judge Holt claims, and not since the
days of the previous Ames regime have
the police attempted to exercise judicial
power.
Now comes Mayor Ames and declares
that Lieut.. KrumWeides action was
taken under his own direct orders; that
he assumes full responsibility for the
act. Moreover. he announces that there
will be ma1y such cases. all through his
administration, and that the police de-
partment will maintain its right at all
times to release men arrested under sim
liar circumstances Said Mayor Ames
yesterday morning:
There seems 20 be an entire misap-
prehension of the facts of this case.
This man was not legally under arrest
Tie officer who made the arrest did SO
without warrant. The man was
brought to the station under suspicion.
The party who caused his arrest re-
fused to prosecute. There was therefore
no case against the man, and nothing to
do but to let him go. / apprehend that
there will be many other such cases dur
ing my administration. A good many
people viii be gathered In by the police
as suspicious characters and held at
the central station for investigation. If
they can clear themselves they will be
released without the Formally of going
before the court. L regard such action
as within the province of the police de-
paTtment. 1t Is right that belongs to
the department and lie court must re-
spect IT.
This policy CT the administration is not
new to TIE ofd-@e.ners VINO lived under
the previous A1nes regimes. 1t was
frequent occurrence in those days fer
men to be arrested and locked up and
later released on the order of the mayor
or some of his subordinates. When &
man was run In" who had a pull with
an administration alderman, all he had
to do was to get word to him, and an
appeal to the doctor would do the rest.