Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-13
DEMORALIZES POLICE FORCE
Broatch Board Reduces Patrol Force on
Duty to Thirty-Bight.
THIRTEEN MEN ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Dmcer DarEacsewski Resigns Because
of Too Much work and Uncer-
tainSy as 10 the Tenure of
His Position.

Sixteen policemen constitute the force
patrollng Omaha today. Last night twenty
two walked the beats that are supposed
TO guard the lives and property Of the sleep
ing citizens.
OF a total force Of hfty-two patrolmen
! thirteen are absent on leave. Yesterday one
more officer added his voluntary resignation
to the list Of vacancies, so that the total
available force of patrolmen for service is
reduced to thirty-eight.
The resignation yesterday is the fruit Of
the wholesale dismissal without hearing Of
patrolmen by the Board OF Fire and Police
Commissioners Too much work and too
much uncertainty as to the tenure Of his
position are the reasons assigned by the
officer for handing over his club, star and
key to Chief Donahue.
At roll call Tuesday evening Nicodemus
DargaezewSki. one Of the old on the
I force, rendered his verbal resignation to
Captain Hayes. Yesterday he handed
his written resignation to Chief Donahue.
His reasons set out are those given above.
Dargaczewski's resignation reduces the
number of pstrolmen on the police force
to hfty-one. OF these thirteen are absent
on leave and the remainder are divided
into two shifts, sixteen day and twenty
three for the night.
Dargaczewski said that for the last
month he had been allowed but Ave supper
hours, because Of the amount of work he
was compelled to do by Sergeant Hudson,
under whose orders he worked.
No Time TO Eat.
Hudson had it in for me, and could
get no relief" said he. When / was
guarding the Union Pacific gates he would
not allow me to stop an instant for rest.
IT was Just like a penitentiary dow there,
and the mosquitoes were so bad that my
hands we're sore all the time. On my beat
in Shelly II was the same way. When 1
! was sent there under the old board 1 was
allowed TO remain all night. But under the
new arrangements 1 would be brought in
from there to the business district at mid
night and had to make the trip during my
lsupper hour. After ! was downtown I
would not DO given fifteen minutes in
which to eat. At present from midnight
until morning the people in Shelly have
no police protection, and those are the
hours protection is needed.
Another reason for my resignation was
the uncertainty OF my position. Every
time two patrolmen meet the sole topic of
conversation is who will be fred next?
This has been going on for the last two
months and no policeman can do good
work under such circumstances The six
teen men discharged, with possibly one
exception, we're the best men on the force
and l could not stand the uncertainty
of the thing. There were no charges
against them and anyone is liable to be
discharged at a moments notice. The
board has ruined the police department
and there are very few members of 1t who
pre- at all satisfied with the way things are
being run. 1 have nothing to say against
Chief Donahue. He has done the best
lie could for the men and everyone believes
in him. but he can do nothing with such
a board to give him orders"
No Shortage fin Fund.
There is no shortage in the police fund"
said Mayor Moores yesterday, "and
there would not be any overlap at the end
OF the year II the department was continued
TO that time at it's former strength. The
coAptroller's statement, showing that there
would be an overlap OF some 81 1900. is mis-
leading from the fact that it includes the
full amount of the expense Of the alarm
system for the two months, while one-haIf
of that is paid from the fire fund. In the
same manner the estimated expenses are
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