The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-12
Major Sylyester's Address at
Convention of Chiefs.
CRIME CREATED BY NEGLECT
Though Police Deals With Individual
Cases, Experience Can Be Made VAL
liable Adjunct to Philan-
thropic Effort.
Especial to The Washington Timcs.)

Especial to The Washington Timcs.)
NEW ORLEANS. May 12.-The annual
convention of the International Associa-
ton of Police Chiefs is in session here
today. Over 200 delegates are present,
including number of officials from for
eign countries.
IN the opening address. Major Richard
Sylvester. president of the association,
spoke at length on the relation of the
duties OF the police to crime He also
gave brief summary of the work OF
the organization for the past year He
said in part:
In past years modern police insti-
tuuons have been organized. fostered
and improved, and to consider the con
quot OF which we meet in annual con-
Venlon. Crime has prevailed in an
climates, in all countries and in all ages.
and will continue for all time to come
: AS far back as investigation has gone
are found the same causes for its com
nltment as exist today. Envy, hatred
revenge. jealousy, ambition. insanity
are causes of crime. Some persons are
said to be born criminals; others tn
De such because of environment and
teachings. These are questions. how
ever, officials engaged in the prevention
and detection OF crime are prone to |
answer in many different ways.
Study of Crime and Criminals
There is no doubt but that the child |
which discloses evil traits. yiciousness
and destructiveness. If allowed to con- |
llnue along such paths, without dis /
enlargement and education to the con- /
lrary, will develop the same Qualities
IN more emphatic and disastrous form
as II grows older. and it IS just as true
that criminals are created through neg
Iect and by improper surroundings AMI
associations
These are undisputed facts hu+ :,
the work the police must nerform IN
these strenuous times. they find enars2
intervals to theorize, and must devote
their hours. almost unbroken. TO pre-
Vention and detection in dealing with in
diVlouaI cases as they are presented. /
rather than to dealing with society as
whole. Experience should enable them.
however, TO enIfgnten the factors more
directly engaged in learning causes gen
orally and remedies to be applied in
the prevention of crime, and the police I
should be prepared to present to the {
courts the defects in the composition If ! I
the criminal as he IS offered for trial
In short, there should be a closer CO. |
operation between the agencies engaged
In studying the offspring Of evil persons.
the surroundings Of the lower classes
and dependents, and the classification If
prisoners and the police organizations.
Politics in Police Administration. !,
1t was the increase of crime in earlier; ;
periods which prompted active legisla- r
ton or proclamations among the lead !
ing countries of the world in looking -
TO the Improvement OF the preventive
organizations More men and means
tended to check crime through closer
surveillance and increased arrests, but
did not correct or stife the growth of
evil classes, under criminal influences, as
population increased and concentrated I
The police had to be increased proper i
tionately. The history OF the modern s
police is that 1t was created in view c
Of the advance OF crime, yet with crime d
increasing professionals more skilled s
than ever before known, expert heads =
of departments with valuable knowledge !.
as to policing are removed for other
than dishonest causes. at period when
their abilities are so thorough as TO
make their retention more desirable, and
few heads are accorded adequate nu- |!
merical force to cope with conditions Il
THE police institution should be free II
from political influences. It is the one
on which ali other municipal establish
rnents must depend. but it becomes
dangerous as a political engine. and its
effectiveness is seriously impaired. It is L
the absence Of this feature which ma i
terially adds to the success of the foreign Il
work in the prevention and detection of Il
crime, although London and Paris are Il
not without violations and many unsolv- II
ed mysteries. The elevation of the police II
officer in the esteem of the public, by 81
studying. promuigating and intoxicating III
every means which might tend to that II
end prompted the formation of the Asso- II
citation of Chiefs ten years ago" III