Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-16
SOME DON'TS FOR POLICEMEN
New York's Commissioner Hands a
Bunch to a Group of Raw
Recruits.

Police Commissioner McAdoo Of New
York, in appointing a number OF new police
men the other day, took occasion to add
a few don'ts to the customary advice
few samples follow:
Don't be a politician; be a policeman.
want that drummed right into you. AS
citizen, you can be a democrat or a
republican or member of the Moon own
ers league, or anything else you want, but
as a policeman be a policeman.
Don't let anybody in New York or out
of 1t intervene for the shadow of an in
slant between you and what you know to
be your duty. Tho moment a man on the
police force becomes a politician instead of
being a policeman, he is worse than use
less. He Is working a pull on the commits
sioner. He won't stand out on his merits.
and he is always looking to see how the
wind is blowing; when will they get rid OF
McAdoo2 When he is put up against
public wrong. when he ought to act
promptly, his arm is paralyzed because
somebody will whisper to him that he will
get into trouble II he interferes with 1t.
Don't be dreaming about what will hap
pen tomorrow. You will all be dead to-
morrow. You live today. live this mo-
ment that 1 am talking to you. am not
going to stand here and say these things to
you thinking that somebody may be Of
Tended tomorrow, or pleased. am telling
you the square truth because don't care
what is going to happen tomorrow. II
can take chance, you can.
Don't get too friendly with criminals;
don't get friendly with criminals at all,
except so far as it helps you as a police
man to get facts. You ought TO know them,
|
get friendly with them.
Don't be too good a fellow. / have had
men in large patches of promotons-I have
turned down one or two men. was sorry
TO do it. 1 am sorry now l had to do it, and
l will tell you why 1 turned them down
They were too good fellows. They had
never said mo" In thirty-fve years of
police life. Any good friends could come
along and tell them what they wanted, and
they would get It. Be a good fellow-of
course we are all good fellows-but have
dead line" where you don't cross for any
| good fellow.
Don't be too amiable. have men come
before me for promotion and everybody
comes in and tells me what a fine man he
is-oh, a delightful man: never hit his
mother or kicked his children. That never
amounts to anything at all when know he
is a man of no possible character he is a
man without conscience and he has no as
| sertiveness.
Don't be afraid of a little extra work and
don't kick. have got lot OF men here on
the mail carts. No man in New York sym.
pathizes any more with them than do; nc
man would take them of more quickly thar
would II l could. They are away from
their families and It is hard, very hard II
is extra work. but don't kick about extra
work.
Don't get to be too fine specialist. Sup
pose you are put on traffic duty. There is
man over there being assaulted. a woman
being insulted, a cry of stop theft dowI
the street; don't let me find you saying
"Oh, that is none OF my business; am OF
the crossing here; that is the business o
the man on post" Don't have that disposi
ton to shirk a little extra duty. Be
policeman all the time.
Don't say, because you are on a pos
where there are burglaries, well, that 4
for the detectives; the detective burea,
has got to do that that is none OF m,
business 1 will do the best l can trying m,
doors. and I am not going TO play detec
tive" You will never make any progress
on the police that way.
Don't lose enthusiasm. When a police
I man gets stdles ana no longer taxes Inter
est in the position. and is no longer prou,
! OF II, he becomes Indifferent and lazy. AL
he does is simply keep within the idea,
line" OF the rules, so as not 10 be brough
here for trial.
Don't get discouraged by the old fellow
telling you II is dogs life. They will tel
J you a man has no rights in this job. and h
is bossed by commissioners and all sorts o
people; and they will tell you another thing
and you mustn't believe it, They will tel
you the public doesn't appreciate goo
work. 1 have been a public servant since
was q years of age. more or less-mostl
more-and 1 have associated with all sort
OF men in public life. and have heard tina
! over and over again, that the people don
care whether you are bad or good; look on
for yourself. Thy will tell you that IN
= public is very unjust and asks things tina
I cannot be done. because they don't give 20
Q the material 10 do them with. No ma
= knows that better than do
4 Don't be a crook. II you have got an
D conscience you won't be a crook. Their
q isn't a happy crook today In New Yorl
4 whether his station Il high in life O
D whether be is poor man that we are chai
Q ing in the streets There are no happ
crooks. Be decent In your morality.