The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-14
EPSTEIN ON BERLIN POLICE.
FINDS HE rs A STELLVERTRETEN-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Some Good Points In the Berlin system.
hut 1t Would Not DO. as Whole. for
This City--NO Police Grating There
Because There's Nobody to Hold Up.


| Deputy Commissioner of Police, returned
yesterday by the Hamburg-American liner
| Auguste Victoria from five weeks trip
to Germany. Primarily. Major Ebstein
took the trip for fun and not 1for police
reasons It was his annual vacation,
taken earlier than usual because the other
| deputies want to play later in the summer.
The Major is German by birth, his native
town being near Breslsu, where sister Of
his is now living
After spending something more than
two weeks in Bresau, Major Ebstein went
to Berlin for the particular purpose OF ex-
| aiming the police system OF the German
| capital He carried with him letters Of
introduction from Secretary Of State Hay
to the United States Ambassador, Mr..
Tower; from Adjutant- General Corbin to
Capt Biddle of the Fourteenth United
States Infantry. Military Attache Of the
United States legation; and from Mayor
Low to the Mayor and the Police Commits
sioner OF the city of Berlin. Major Ebstein
had lot of fun in the German capital, and
picked up considerable information which,
he thinks, may be of use to the New York
Police Department. In talking Of his trip
Yesterday he said
Shortly after 1 arrived in Berlin l paid
my respects to our Ambassador and pre-
! sent ted my letters. Capt. Biddle, might
fine specimen Of the young American army
officer, took me under his wing at once
| and with him l paid my calls of court esy
on the Mayor, or Chief Burgher, OF Berlin
and the Police Commissioner, or, to be
exact, the Chief President Of Police Both
t he officials hold their commissions from
the German Emperor and are men Of rank.
Knowing that there is always considerable
gold lace attached to Crown officers in
Germany Capt. Biddle and l thought it
would be best to pay these calls in full
uniform. He. therefore, donned the full
dress uniform of Captain in the United
States Army, and l harnessed up in my
Majors uniform.
4We drove through the streets In an open
carriage, and, of a truth, We made lovely
appearance. The next day the Berlin
papers printed fairly long stories about US
and our calls, remarklng especially the
gorgeousness of the uniforms worn by
Police Captains in New York. A Deputy
Police Commissioner is lucky to be called
most anything. but the reference was q
little hard on Capt. Biddle, who has got to
stay there in Berlin and live down the
reputation. The papers were inclined to
speak rather sightingy Of me, and learned
that the reason for 1t was that Deputy
Police Commissioner In Berlin does very
much the same work that our sergeants
of police do. Therefore. the Berlin re-
porters were inclined to think that l was
putting on lot Of Tugs for 50 insignificant
person. They gave me the German
title for Deputy Police Commissioner,
which was word OF two svllables.
-The next day some of the correspondents
of New York papers took the trouble to
inform the German newspaper men that
they were all wrong in their references to
me and that was really some pumpkins.
They said that my Job was to take the
place OF the chief president OF police In New
York when that official was away. The
effect was wonderful. The day after the
papers printed some more stories about
me and then was the real thing: In fact.
tender Polizei-President.. This being liter
ally interpreted means the ef-president-
police-when the neutrality-suspicious. or
something Of that sort.
whether 1t was on account OF the cor
rected press notices or not, do not know.
but was treated with the greatest courtesy
and every facility was given me TO study
, the Berlin police departments. AS have
said the department is under control Of
the Chief President Of Police, who Ia re-
sponsib!e only TO the Emperor He Is very
charming man, but would say that he
is more Of law officer than anything else.
He has at his fingers ends the theory and
practice OF all the laws which the police
! under him are called upon TO enforce. He
isa Herr Doktor Of something, OF philosophy
Under his direction are the three d.
visions of he Berlin police, the uniformed
force or the protective division; the de-
tective division, which corresponds to our
detective bureau; the political police, which
looks after the anarchists and the like, and
The moral division. which looks after and
controls the prostitutes. These four
divisions do not only the police work OF the
city, but they do the work OF our Fire De-
part ment and look after all excise matters.
"You see, therefore, that IN the Berlin
Police Depart ment the powers and duties
Of three municipal departments and ono
State depar, ment, az we know them. are
combined. The result is that the Berlin
Commissioner of Police has much more
power than has our Police Commissioner.
4The active head of the uniformed force
is called a colonel of police. Under him
there are ma jors, captains and lieutenants
of police. The latter officers do work
which is more like that which our sergeants
Of the he's stations, ali Of which, BY the way,
are rented from private citizens. The
Berlin Police Department does not own a
single police station.
Tho lower floors Of the stations are fitted
I'D as Offices and the upper floors Us living
apartments for the leutenants, all OF whom
i've in the stations The captains have
charge Of the precincts and the majors
of sections OF the CITY, that are something
like our inspection districts. The officers
of the uniformed force have absolutely
nothing to do with any Of the other divi-
stems ~ the SeDartmant.
IAN Of these officers were, at some time,
officers OF the German Army, and the rank
and Ale of the force is made up entirely Of
non commissioned officers of the army.
This is compulsory. Before man can be
APPOINTED to the force he must have served
six years in the army and attained nom
commission rank. The pay Is better than
the paw in the army, but Ia 80 low. for all
that that our policemen could make more
money as common laborers. Our patrol
men get $500 year to start with and ulti-
matciy get 81 400 The Berlin patrolmen
get the magnificent sum OF about $500 year.
Berlin has something more than 5000
men on the force, while we have few less
than S.CM. The Chief President OF Police
told me that he didn't have as many men
as he neeed, and it is cock-sure that II he
hasn't, New York hasn't anywhere near
enough. The Berlin patrolmen are a very
military looking body OF men, and the
fine appearance. but neither the infantry
IL i e. Nx~,v V.Vr