Waterbury Democrat., 1901-07-17
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
pr Mum Thinks Heavy Uniforms arc Inhuman


 The board of safety had so much business to transact and so many peo- pie to hear at last evenings meeting that it was deemed advisable to sit in the aldermen'S chamber. Promptly at the hour set for the meeting, s o'clock, the board began business and it was near 10:30 o'clock when it went into executive session to decide the cases against Officer Joseph Mccarthy and Bremen Edward Bowling, Fred Hayes and John J. Kelly Mayor Kilduff pre- sided and Commissioner D. Foley was absent. After the usual preliminaries applications for positions as callfire- men were received from Constable Walter B. Lannon. Patrick Garlic and George A. Brown and William H. Me Christie. They were all filed The complaint referred by Thomas F. Lun- ny against Officer Joseph Mccarthy was then taken up. This was to the effect that MT Lunny had been sOreIy annoyed by the officer on the afternoon of June 26, by ordering him to remove his hack from in front of the Scovill house. In word the complainant said the hack had been there only few minutes and that he was waiting for a fare who had just engaged him. On the other hand the officer contended that the hack had been there twenty-five minutes that he knew of; how long before that lie could not say Mir Lunny was represented by Attorney Kendrick and Policeman Me- Carthy by Attorney Carmody The stories told by each were widely diff ferent. For instance complainant said the officer said certain things; the off Ger denied having said them. c. H. Truman, proprietor of the Scovill house. q barber named Ernest Green bush and Arthur Lunny, son of com plainant corroborated the Iatter's story
 In.addressing the board after all the evidence was taken Attorney Kend- rick said he did not want vote Of censure taken against the officer; his client merely desired to know where he stood in principle in this matter, claim ing that his hack no more obstructed the. highway than did any other obsta- cle on the streets. Attorney Carmody said it was q question as to standing by the spirit of the ordinance which regulates city hacks and protects the thCroughfares from obstruction. There ti:e matter rested until all the other business was transacted when tLe board fully exOnerated the officer.
 The charges against firemen Hayes and Bowling of the Burton street house anl Kelly of the Hook & Ladder com piny- These men were charged witt. being absent from du:y on Sunday af- %9-ESs y.ICs xxFs LII that they had notified their respective captains. or had understood that f.Iey were entitled to Sunday afternoon and evening off. One of them said that two years sgo he asked the captain for th.s rrfviiege and had enjoyed it ever sIne... The matter would nave been easily a.I- justed nut for Chief Snagg in replying ID question said thar no captain had power to grant such q privilege unless tiIs man asking for t had provided q substitute In this case no substitute had been provided Action in each case was deferred until next meeting when it was decided that Hayes and Ciptain Slco-c sf.ouId be present Meanwhile inquiry will be made into the other cases. Captain Hull recoIIected that Fireman Henry Schwartz was absent from duty on July without leave. This was referred to the next meet ing.
 Regarding these matters as a whole Commissioner Kleinecke said that a vote had been passed some time ago which threw such matters into the hands of the captains; they were too trivial to be disposed of by the board and moreover. the rules had provided for dispOsing of them. Now if that vote could not be adhered to it would be better to annul it. This was accord irgly done and. furthermore. Commits sioners KIeinecke and E. Foley were appointed committee to revise the entire rules of the department. A re- commendation from the board of alder men appointing Philip McEvoy q spe- cia1 officer without pay to take care of the parks was acted upon favorabIy.
 Dr S. B. Mum appeared before the board then and stated that his pres ence was caused by conversations he had had with a few members Of the police department to the effect that it was inhuman and lot, of other ins and uns to insist upon the police wear ing heavy uniforms during excessively warm weather. The doctor was not paid to speak, he was merely q volun- feer and was acting he thought in be half of justice to the men, who com plained to him that they suffered. The doctors story was of the kind that is very good until another is told. The other side was told by the chief of DO lice and it was to the effect that if the board took action it should be remem- bered that it is the men who shall pay for the new uniforms: that some of them have large families and that last. but by no means least the chief never heard any of them complain. He hns been on the force twenty-five years or more and in all that time has not known of a policeman resigning be cause of the heat Commissioner Kleinecke stated that he also had some interviews with the policemen and they had complained to him. Com missioner Knox suggested 1t woud be a good idea for the chief to poll the men on the matter.
 The chief then made a statement which in brief was that only some of the men are on duty only four weeks during the very hot weather, at the most and some of them not on duty al all during that time He would like to sec the men wear a lighter uniform