The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-04-21
POLICE COMMISSIONS
IMPORTANT HEARING BEFORE
 LEGISLATIVE COMMIT EE.

How the Plan Works in Chicago, New
 York and Other Cities-ResuIt of En-
 quiries on the Subject.
 Hartford, April 2O.-The hearing be- fore the committee on cities and bor- oughs on the two bills affecting the po- lice commissionerships of New Haven came up this afternoon at 2 o'clock. There was a large delegation of New Hayen's representative citizens in at- tendance, including many members of the Civic league. Dean Henry Wade Rogers, of the Yale Law school, who was delegated to open the citizens side of the case, was unable to attend and transferred that duty to Charles $. De- Forest.
 One of the bills provides that the po- lice board shall be abolished and sim gle-headed commission be substituted for it. The other makes the mayor an active member of the commission. In opening MT. DeForest said:
 Mir. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee on Cities and Boroughs- The bill for which your petitioners ap- pear would amend the city charter of New Haven by doing away with po- lice commission of six and substituting therefor one commissioner, who should have entire control of and be responsi- ble for the police department of the city of New Haven, said commissioner to be appointed by the mayor. This, in brief, is the intent of the proposed measure. Its details, such as duration of term of office, method of removal from office if necessary, salary, etc., are matters up- on which opinion may vary, but asato the main purpose of the bill your peti- tioners are in full accord.
 "A word regarding the hundred or more citizens of New Haven who have signed this petition. As to political af- filiations, about two-thirds of them are republicans; the remainder are demo- crats. It is a body of citizens which may be said to fairly represent the bus mess and professional interests of New Haven. Among them may be found ex- mayors, ex-police commissioners and other public officials, who are familiar Nith municipal matters through practi- cal experience. It is proper to add also that as taxpayers the petitioners repre- sent property assessed in the grand list of New Haven at between six and seven millions of dollars.
 ..These citizens have become convinc- ed that New Haven should have the benefit of more modern ideas in it's po- lice department; that official responsi- bility should be so placed through sim pIication of. government machinery that the people may hold their public ser wants to the execution of the public will through the least delay and uncertainty. Every one knows that individual official responsibility decreases in exact pro- portion to the increase in the number of officials sharing the responsibility. With six commissioners constituting a police board, responsibility must be di- vided by six. And we have seen that when public criticism is thus divided it's force becomes diluted It is perfectly natural and quite easy for six men to so arrange conditions as to form an end- less circle of denial and evasion.
 Therefore, we are urging the adop- ton of a simple business principle by means of which the public will, when necessary, can be quickly and effective ly registered A good illustration of this point is found in the phenomenally quick response to the pressure of public opinion manifested by Commissioner McAdoo during the recent public attack on the police force of New York. When it is recalled that under the old regime in New York the official hide was not penetrated until after years of fighting, the prompt right-about-face of the po- lice authorities there to-day is an object lesson of the first importance"
 MT. DeForest thought there would be no difficulty in finding the one man fit for the position. It would be easier to find the one than to find six, as is now required.
 If 1t is asked what other cities have adopted single heads for their police de- partments, we will point to the cities of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Syra- euse, Rochester, Albany, Troy and most of the smaller cities in the United States.
 We will briefly speak of the experi- ence of but two cities out of this num- ber, although favorable testimony comes from nearly all of them. The mana cement of the Chicago police de- partment has been under a single chief since 1872 and so successful has the plan proved that in the drafting of a new city charter the question of making any change in this respect has not been thought of for a. moment. Its value has been proven beyond doubt" @
 MT. DeForest cited other testimony strongly supporting this proposition, quoting a letter from Charles filling, 8 prominent Chicago lawyer and present member of Chicagos board of aldermen, and u letter from George E. Cole, en- dorsing all that MT. Alling had said on the subject.
 MT. Cole is one of Chicagos promin' ent business men, and is one of the ac- s i've members of the Chicago Municipal league, which has done such valiant ser- vice for the city.
 sNew York city has also had a single head to its police dedpartment since 19o1;'' and MT. De Forest presented evil dence showing that the single head commission there had worked well, and had not even been referred to by the .scommittee of nine" as needing any at tention. "No, the plain fact stands out, that amid all the tumult of opinion and