Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-24
CHIEFS OF POLICE FROM MANY CITIES.

in practical everyday way with Grim
inals. While the work of scientific Grim
inologists is unquestionably of great value
to the world. 1t necessarily deals theOretic-
ally and often speculatively with that most
complex of all things. human nature. and
is therefore often dScTedited and some
times ridiculed.
THE practical man, accepting something
from all these learned gentlemen. recognizes
cosmic, sociologic and physical causes of
crime. He knows in his own, perhaps I'M
scientific, way that in hot weather there
more crimes of violence, and in cold weather
more thefts And there more crimes of
all kinds in congested parts of the large
cities. where ignorance predominates. and
he knows TOO. that some people will not be
honest in any kind of weather or surround
ings."
Chief Desmond declared that no sympat thy
should be shown the professional criminal
the man who has made his life work the
preying upon his fellow man. Habitual
criminals should be segregated for long pc
riOds from the honest element of society.
Chief John C. Whitaker of Dayton. Ohio,
in discussing Mr. DesmOnd's paper. said his
paper and his work gave the lie to DR..
Os!ers theory about the unfitness of man
for important work after he had passed the
forty-year mark of his life.
Chief Knapp of Toledo
Chief p. d. Knapp of Toledo. Ohio, spoke
of the work of the newsboys society in
lives.
While Toledo may have the reputation of
harboring Crooks he said, I'VE have not
the reputation of educating them. We of
Toledo have no respect for thief, whether
he steals ham a railroad
In a lively cross-fire that followed, Chief
John j. Downey of Detroit Mich. said he
had no use for "a fOurf1uSher wind
jammer.'
He then spoke of labor strikes and the
violence that sometimes accompanies
them.
The question of handling these strikes
and the unions is a vital one he said,
and how far chief of police go. We
have strikes in Detroit every year. Dur
ing strike last year l would not allow
the strikers to loiter or congregate about
the works. When they did go, my men
charged on them and dispersed them. For
doing so / was censured by the press and
the labor unions. but l had a home-rule
mayor who supported me-"
Chief McWeeny of South Bend, Ind, crti-
cised certain cities for allowing known
thieves to live there when they had no Wis
ible means of support He contended that
all such should be promptly ''vagged."
Chief J. T. Jansen of Milwaukee said
professional criminals should be chased out
of "A community, as you would chase YER
min
Chief Fred w Hill of Chattanooga
Tenn, declared that he had no more re-
spect for a professional gambler than he
has for professional thief. The lid is on
in my town, so far as both gambling and
other forms of thieving is concerned, and
we intend to keep 1t on.
Chief of Police J. N. Tillard of Altoona.
Pa, read an interesting and descriptive
paper on THE Yegg Criminal, Throwout,
or Fake Cripple and Professional Beggar,"
and illustrated phases of the paper with
photograph
Chief VIM. Bennett of Braddock Pa,
said there was not gambling house
speak-eaSy ~ house of i'll Tcpute in his
town
Then Braddock must be heaven said
There will be no afternoon session today.
as the chiefs and their ladies went down
the Potomac on pilgrimage to Mount
Vernon
The board of governors # the bureau of
identification held an executive session this
forenoon.
The Individual Police Officer
The papers read at the session Yesterday
afternoon treated of the training. deport-
ment and character Of the individual po-
lice officer. Forming Il basis for the dis
cussion were reports from officers of the
National Bureau of Criminal Identified
ton, and addresses by well-known chiefs
of police throughout the United States and
Canada. Police Commissioner A. T. Sher.
wood of Ottawa talked Of the practical
education of policemen. He urged the
necessity of rigid discipline the force
d
vocated a pawn bill system to aid the de-
lection of crime. and Chief w. f.. Wier of
birmingham. Ala, read a paper on the
character of the individual policeman
touching feature of the afternoon ses-
sion was the action of Police Commits
sioner A. p. Sherwood of Ottawa. Onta-
rio, in proposing memorial to the late
Col William G. Moore, former chief of po-
lice of the District of Columbia. He said:
There are those here who cannot fail to
remember the kindly gentleman who once
entertained us. / move that a committee
be appointed to select suitable floral
tribute to be placed the grave of the
late Col. Moore, as a token of the regard
of those whose privilege it was to know
him, and of those who would have cher
ished the privilege had they known him"
Committee Named.
The Moore memorial committee was then
appointed. The members are Maj Richard
Sylvester Chief John Foster of Camden.
n. j., and Commissioner Sherwood of Can
ada.
In his paper on The Practical Educa-
ton of Policemen" Commissioner Foster
said
AN officer should be vigilant to prevent
crime as much as possible and not by neg
Hgence afford temptation to those inclined
to commit it. An officer keeping his beat
free from crime deserves more credit than
one who has number of convictions to
his credit. The latter may be the more
SNOWY officer. but certainly he is NOT the
better one. 1t should be impressed upon
him how necessary it is to curb his tenn
per, an irasctble angry one being more I'M
fit for duty than an intoxicated one as he
is incapable of exercising that discretion
so often required of a constable He
should avoid overzealousness and NEEDLE
someness; he should be anxious to do his
duty and nothing more. A meddIesome of