Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-25
ABOUT The POLICE
Further Hearing by House Sub
Committee.
SPECIAL OFFICER COCHRAN
Protests Against Night Watchmen's
Dismissal Without Trial.
IMMEDIATE INCREASE URGED
Privates Curry and Smith Say That
Men Cannot Live on SIS
Month.

The concluding hearing on the Babcock
and Cooper bills for increasing the pay and
Fastening the promotion of the members
| Of the metropolitan police force was held
before Representative Campbells subcom
mittee of the House District committee yes
terday afternoon. Commissioner West, Maj.
Sylvester, Privates Curry and Smith of the
police department and Special officer James
Cochran were heard
Mr.. Cochran, who was the first witness,
| said that he represented the local Night
Watchmen's Association. and that he APP
peared before the subcommittee to protest
| against the inclusion in whatever bill was
| favorably reported. of the provision author
| izng the Commissioners to dismiss a spe-
/ cial policeman without hearing before the
! trial board.
We work under the rules and regulation
| OF the police department" asserted Mr..
/ Cochran. I'VE must turn In the other
| policemen do, and we must obey the orders
| of Maj Sylvester And Furthermore, we
| must appear in court as the regular po-
| licemen do when make arrests. 1
| am an old policeman and know-and the
| major will bear me out-that the special
| policemen are Of a great deal of assistance
| to the regular force.
Not Employees of the District
! Maj. Sylvester interrupted Mr.. Cochran
| to insist that the special policemen were
| In no way employees of the District of Co
| lumbia. The major said that department
| merely exercised general supervision over
| the special policemen and night watch
| men, to see that they gave good service
| and attended to their duties He could not
| see how employees of private concerns and
| local merchants should be given the right
! OF trial by police department institution,
| and the department burdened with the
/ iDDa M axr a1yl-a of frri,s ,i,1-
Mr.. Cochran said that he had been offered
! $500 for the beat he was now patrolng,
which paid about $50 a month. He had
! been told by a Baltimore attorney he
| asserted, that If the Commissioners bill
| became law all the night watchmen now
! in the service would lose their Jobs and a
! Baltimore concern would do the work. He
| mad laughed at the assertion he said be-
! cause he had the utmost faith in Mai. Syl-
| vester and Commissioner West The latter
! named gentleman improved the opportunity
! to laugh with Mr.. Cochran.
Policeman Curry, who had been heard
| briefly in the morning and who had made a
| very good impression with his straightfor
ward statements and easily understood fig
ures, reappeared before the committee to
make a brief statement. He said that be-
cause of stage fright or something similar,
due to the fact that he did not often
| have the honor of appearing before a con-
gressional committee, he had made slight
error in one suggestion offered at the
morning session. He said he wanted to ask
made dependent upon physical eNamina-
ton. Members of the office were subjected
to ~ rigorous examination before their origi-
mar appointments and he thought this was
sufficient. Very few men, he said, could
pass the same examination after they had
| been some years on the force. Commits
sioner West and Maj Sylvester concurred
with Mr.. Curry in this view, and the
change was made in the tentative draft of
the bill. At the suggestion made by Mr..
Curry and seconded by the Commissioner
and the superintendent the wording of the
Babcock bill was altered so as to make
promotion from the lower to the higher
grades automatic depending entirely upon
the length of service.
Mr.. Curry said in conclusion that COM
putation mad shown that the members OF
the local police force are on duty 474 eight
hour days every year. On this basis they
received s1.71 cents day-less than the
average day laborer is paid for the same
hours of service.
Immediate Increase Urged.
Private c. E. Smith said he had little to
add to Mr.. Curry's statement, save TO urge
immediate legislation for an increase OF
pay to the members of The force. He said
ne knew many instances where the pay
had proved entire Inadequate for living
expenses. Before going the force, he
said, he had sold some property he owned
down in the country. He had been unable
to live his pay, and each month had
been forced TO take little something from
his nest egg toward actual running ex-
penses. Every cent of that sum had been
used up except so. He considered it inn
possible for average family to live on
sT5 month He had been on the force
seven years and is still receiving that
amount.
IF we could live in alley houses he re-
markeu 'or go out in the country. where
rents are cheap, We might get along. But
we can't And so at present we are not
living, but merely existing" He thought
that the large number of cases on which
the trial board forced 10 pass were
the direct result of the dissatisfaction of
members of the force with the manner In
which they have been treated He thought
that with increased pay and prospect OF
promotion policemen would prize their po-
sitions more highly than they do at pres
ent. AT present, he said ii almost I'M
possible for member of the force to keep
out OF the hands of the 10 per cent sharks |
and when he once gets into the mesh he
seldom If ever. gets out again. Mr.. Smith
estimated that although he has served seven |
years on the force he would have to serve
at least four more years under the present
arrangement before he would get an in
crease of pay
A Dual Position.
Commissioner West following Mr. Smith, |
said that the Commissioners occupied |
dual position in this matter. Their sympa- |
thies We're all with the policemen, but they |
also had practical side to consider The |
iilCiSdse proposed II put INTO eHect at |
once, would call for appropriation OF |
$121, coo, and the District revenues were al |
ready suffering a heavy strain. He sug- |
gested that the increase be made to go into |
effect July /, 1907.
Maj. Sylvester requested by Chairman |
Campbell TO tell something of the personnel |
of his force said that there were fewer |
trials of members of his force on charges |
of intoxicatlon in this jurisdiction than |
anywhere else In the United States. He |
had been, he said. president of the National |
Association of Police Chiefs for six years,
and he thought the class of men in Wash |
ngton was the highest he had seen any
where
Not more than 5 per cent OF the local |
force required supervision, the major said,
under suspicion that they were not doing |
their duty.
1T is the opinion of almost every one
who comes to Washington" interjected |
L..