Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-06
CONSTITUTES THE Law
CONTROLLER TRACEWELL On
POLICE REORGANIZATION.
Authority Of the Commissioners IN
Matter Of Promotions-Additions
to the Force.

Controller Tracewell has rendered an
opinion to the District Commissioners relat-
ing to the reorganization of the metropoli-
tan police force. The Commissioners trans
mitted to the controller a request from
Maj Sylvester for a construction of GER
tain provisions of the act of reorganization.
The following questions by Maj. Sylvester
were submitted:
First. Should privates of class 1 who
held original appointments in the force
prior to July I. 1905. be promoted to class
2 three years from date of appointment?
Second. Should privates of class / APP
pointed to the force subsequent to July 1,
1906 be promoted after three years serv-
ice in class 1?
Third. Should privates of class 2 APP
pointed to the force prior to July 1. 1906, be
promoted to class after five years serv-
ice?"
Fourth. Should privates Of class APP
pointed privates of class 1 subsequent
to July 1, 1906, be promoted to class after
a service of three years in class 1 and after
a further service of five years In class 2?'
In his answer Controller Tracewell says:
THAT part Of your questions which re-
!ates to such promotions as you are author
lied to make during the fiscal year 1907, af-
fects payments to be made under you, and
to the extent that the act of June 8. 1906.
limits your authority to make said promo
lions or classifications, would come within
my jurisdiction to decide.
Matter Of Promotions.
1.-The act Of June 8, 1906, supra. provides
for placing privates who were in the service
on July 1, 1905. in certain classes in ac-
cordance with the length Of their service.
1t also gives the Commissioners authority
to promote them from one class to another
after they have served the length Of time
from their original appointment which was
required in order to include them In a GER
tain class. Whether or not private should
be promoted from one class to another de-
ponds upon whether his conduct and intel
ligent attention to duty shall JUS
tify such promotion as well the length
Of his service.
THE act Of June 8, 1905, does not pro-
vide for any specific number Of privates for
each class, but evidently contemplates that
the number in classes two and three will be
increased as the privates In classes one and
two become eligible to promotion to classes
two and three respectively. The appropria-
ton act above quoted provided for this
when 1t appropriated for amount required
to pay salaries of privates of class two who
will be promoted to class three and privates
of class one who will be promoted to class
two, during the fiscal year nineteen hundred
and seven, five thousand nine hundred and
seventy-nine dollars and one cent
This appropriation was clearly for add
tional places in the two classes mentioned
so that promotions would not be required
to wait on vacancies.
Controllers Interpretation.
your questions are therefore answered
as follows:
I'm answer to your first question you
are advised that you are authorized to
promote privates who were appointed prior
to July 1, 1905, from class one to class
two after they have served three years from
the date of their original appointment and
to pay them the salary Of class two from
the date of promotion out Of the appropria-
ton for the fiscal year 1907.
Your second question does not and cam
not involve any payment to be made under
you out of existing appropriations except
to the extent that you are only authorized
to originally appoint prdva&es after July
1, 1905, in class one and pay them the
salary Of this class.
I'm answer to your third question you