New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-06
THE POLICE BILL.

A day or two after the report Of the COMMIT
eco - kim on nolice administration in this city
was published several members or the Iesle,"u
IRE were quoted as saying, in substance lna'
they had not looked at it and did not lhlehu -
look at it. That contemptuous atutuOe' "niCn
did no credit to the men to whom II was aIuiO-
uted was not adopted, we are glad to say Dy
anybody present at Tuesdays hearing Delore
the Assembly Cities Committee on the Dill en-
bodying the recommendations Of the Committee
of Nine The moral quality Of the members Oh
that committee is high, and it can be sald' Will
out exaggerating their intellectual capacity OF
practical sense that they are far better lilorleu
as TO the defects and requirements of the New
York Police Department than majority OF the
legislature can ever expect to be. Ihey mace d
careful study of the questions submitted 70
Them listened to a mass of competent tesu-
mony, considered great deal Of disinterested
advice and made a report which, we think, has
grown in favor the more it has been examined.
At all events, the conclusions which they
reached are deserving Of attentive and respect
full discussion at Albany and elsewhere.
We have not thought that all of the commit
tees PROPOSALS were of a particularly hopeful
character. and there is no guarantee that any of
them would accomplish the object sought But
the same thing is to be said Of nearly every
legislative measure designed to improve gov
efniuentdA
drawn with great deliberatiOn by men Of SUI
perior ability; yet it is almost invariably found
soon after they go into effect that important
changes are required. The commission which
framed charter to meet the needs of this city
after consolidation was remarkably well consd-
tuted 1t was compelled, to be sure, to do its
work too rapidly, but 1t largely made up for
that disadvantage by assiduOus devotion to its
task. Nevertheless some of its most confident
expectations were quickly disappointed. Every
new scheme Of administration is experimental
and the intelligence of the Committee of Nine
would not be discredited if it should be sub
jected to a similar experience.
We said, on the appearance Of the committees
report, that we should not dislike to see all its
recommendations adopted by the legislature,
and we are not inclined, after further cOnsidera-
ton Of them, TO withdraw that statement. 1t
still seems to us improbable that the creation
within the Police Department of a bureau
charged with the duty Of supervising the liquor
traffic and suppressing vicious and criminal
establishments would permanently remedy the
evils which now are rampant 1t is more likely
that after period of doubt and difficulty differ
ent and perhaps equally successful combinations
would be formed. But, at least, there is no rea-
son to suppose that the new arrangement would
ever become worse than the old, and a good deal
might be gained by clogging even for a short
time the channels through which the tide of cor
ruption flows in and out.
Two features Of the committees report and
the bill based upon it are in our opinion, clearly
commendable. In all the long discussion of Do
lice affairs nobody has ever had favorable
word to say for the present detective Organiza-
ton. 1t is universally regarded as dangerous
and contemplate. Indeed, so familiar has the
public been made with the abuses which centre
there that accusations which are infamous II
they are not well founded no longer startle the
community. Let us then get rid Of this menace
ana disgrace as soon possible and, If a more
promising substitute is not quickly proposed, try
the compittee's plan of bureau of criminal In
Vesdgauon, to be composed of men assigned to
1t by the Chief Inspector, or executive head. Of
the force The arrangement for police trials
and especially the bestowal Of authority to re-
duce the grade of an officer for neglect or inefa-
cheney, also seem well designed to remove oh
stacles which the law has put in the path of an
honest Commissioner who wants to do his dutv
In short, the bill contains a number of Dro-
visions which are well worth trying. whether
the scheme as whole is approved or rejected.