New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-01
LID rnAnnn,s EXCUSES.

Mr. McAdoo received complaint the olhet
day from a father who said that his boy WIS
being ruined in poolroOm, and VINO lmploreu
the Police Commissioner to close Lne place
What was the result? Did the commissioner
Quietly begin work? Did be order his men at
onca IN oct evidence against the alleged pool
room have the proprietor arrested. ana then
helm the District Attorney with might and
main to obtain a conviction? It would not ap-
near so. Rather he began to complain. Instead
of calling his men to account he blamed the
courts. He said that the establishment OF
which the father spoke was protected by an
Injunction and that the poolroom men were
getting so many injunctions against MIN that
he was sadly handicapped in trying to stop
gambling.
If is shown elsewhere In The Tribune this
morning that an injunction is no real hlndrance
to the police Several instances are cited, In
each of which officers made successful raids on
alleged pooIrooms for which the courts had is
sued injunctions. An injunction simply re-
ouires the police to get evidence of crime be-
fore making arrests 1t prohibits their break
ing into house without warrant BEFORE the
raid it is necessary for them TO do a little de-
tective work Either plainclothes men or cltl-
zens outside Of the department employed for
this purpose are sent into the house TO see II
the laws are being broken, and their report IS
before q
sued it may be acted upon at any time, so that
there is no basis in the argument that the Cd
tanning of q warrant offers the opportunity
for some one inside to Tip off" the poolroom
Armed with a warrant, a captain may pounce
down on n house whenever he believes the time
ripe
Inirnctions have been granted by the courts
NOT 10 rrotert lawbreakers from the police, but
to prevent the police from being laWbreakers.
Such restraining orders are chiefly to curtah
the opportunities for blackmaiL Justice Gay
nor who has issued most Of these lnJuncuohS'
holds that when the police go about breaking
into buildings with only themselves responsible
for their actions their chances FOR eXtorunS
money from, lawbreakers are UNNECESSARILY IN
creased.
When Mr. McAdoo returned to Mulberry-st
after his rest of six weeks he found that the
burglars had been so inconsderate as not 20
take their vacations at the same time. Oh Ine
contrary they had been enjoying city lie more
than usual: They had been breaking INTO houses
with frequency and amazing success. Yet MT
McAdoo would not permit his department u
he blamed for all this Burglars, he said, always
came to town in the summer. 1t was thelr
established custom to rob houses when foiks
were away.
AT the time The Tribune pointed out TO Mr..
McAdoo that about two-thirds of the patromen
did not even pretend to do their duty. 1t printed
extracts from reports made by detectives or the
Society for the Suppression Of Crime, which
showed that in districts where burglars were
likely TO be busiest many officers were hardly
more than loafers. and it gave specific instances
of their spending their time in saloons or even
carving LIQUOR through the streets to friends In
nearby Easements The Tribune also brought
ont the fact that the reports of the societys de-
tectives had been sent to the Mayor and had
then been turned over to Mr.. McAdoo, and that
Mr.. McAdoo had paid no attention to them. Yet
these reports even contained the numbers of Off
GERS who had so 1agrantly neglected their duty.
Within the last few days, however, Mr.. Nc
Adoo has practically acknowledged that all
this was true. Mr.. McAdoo now says that
patrolnen are sometimes not on their posts.
He tells Of seeing a man knocked down in
Broadway by a car and of his futile hunt for an
officer He says he looked in vain for police
man to help him care for the victim of the ac-
cident and although there was supposed to be
a regular patrOman on the beat and two addi-
tionaI officers assigned simply to walk up and
down the thoroughfare, yet he had to wait ten
minutes before he found a bluecoat.
Yet what was the result of this experience?
Did Mr.. McAdoo also say that now he under
stood why the burglars We're so busy while he
was away? Did he announce that he would
promptly investigate the reports presented to
him and that he would look up the numbers Of
the patrolmen accused of neglecting their duty?
Not at all The Police Commissioner merely
walled. 1T is very mortifyng very discour-
aging"