The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-09
Large Powers Granted to
the Police Justice to
Be Elected.
He Has Criminal and Civil Jurisdic'
ton That viii Enable Him to Put
An End to Violations OF
the Law.

The law that will require the city
of Raleigh to elect a Police Justice is
far reaching and important. Many
have supposed that the Police Justice
would have only the powers of trial
hitherto exercised by the mayor. He
has all that power and much more
very much more. In fact he should
rather be called City Judge than Po-
i lice Justice, for he has jurisdiction of
all crimes except felonies. He ought
to be learned in the law, conversant
with judicial decisions and have the
| MBI 9ql elu39x9 OF 9SBInoo puB Gl!I!qB
! fearlesslX and impartially Hereto
fore there has been too much di
vded power. The crimes most diff
! cult of conviction have often escaped
! punishment because of the lack of
Ipower in the mayor a divided power.
| The new law remedies all this.
/ 1t is not too much to say that the
most important office in Raleigh after
June will be the office of Police JUS
tice The good order in the city and
the punishment of crime is in his
hands. In order to show the large
power conferred upon him the follow
ing extracts are taken from 'he new
charter:
49, That the Police JUST e of the
city of Raleigh is hereby constituted
a special court with the following
jurisdiction:
(a) With exclusive original jurisdic-
ton over al offences arising from the
violation of the provisions of this
act, or of all violations of ordinances,
bylaws, rules and regulations of the
board of aldermen, made in pursu-
ance of this act, within the corporate
limits of the city of Raleigh, and
within Raleigh township.
CD With Jurisdiction, power and
authority for the trial and determina-
ton of all misdemeanors created by
the laws of the State of North Caro-
lima, committed within the corporate
limits of the city of Raleigh and with
i'm Raleigh township.
(c.) With Jurisdiction, power and
authority which is now or hereafter
may be given to a justice of the peace
for the trial and determination of civil
and criminal cases.
And to this end he may issue his
summons, warrant or other process;
issue a warrant for the arrest of de-
PENDANT in criminal causes, and have
the party brought befoe him; hea,
determine and give judgmnt threon;
issue execution, impose fines nd inn
prisonment, and impose penalties and
with right of appeal BY the defendant
from the judgment or sentence of the
Police Justices court to the Superior
Court of Wake County, under the
same provisions of law that govern an
appeal from inferior courts or from
a justice of the peace court.
1t shall be competent for the said
court to sentence such person to i'm
prisonment on the county roads of
Wake County or to the county jail of
Wake County; and in case a defendant
shall not pay a fine, penalty or cost
adjudged against him in a civil dc-
ton for the recovery of a fine for the
violation of an ordinance of the city
of Raleigh, the Police Justices court
shall have authority and power to
sentence the defendant in such ct&e
to work on the streets or other public
works of the city of Raleigh.
Section IA "The Police Justices
Court shall have a seal with the in
scripJon, Police Justices Court of the
city of Raleigh which seal shall be
used in attesting all writs,' ETC., etc.
of said court in the same manner and
to the same effect as the seal of other
courts i'm the State of North Caro-
lima.
The Police Justices process when
attested by the seal of his court shall
run anywhere in the state of North
Carolina, and the same shall be ey
ecutcd by all officers according to law.
That the judgments rendered ty
the Police Justice under this act snail
have all the force, virtue and validity
of judgments rendered by inferior
courts under the laws of the State of
North Carolina.
Really an Important Court.
The above provisions shad that the
| new Police Justice should have been
called City Judge. Inasmuch as a
court of such great Importance has
been created, the first action of the
Board of Aldermen should be to re-