The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-28
HERE'S A SCARE FOR POLICE.
AN WHO ARE NATURALTZED
MUST SHOW THEIR PAPERS.
Federal Investigation like That in The
street Cleaning Department Under.
taken NJ Bingham's Request MANY
DismissaIs n Prosecutions Threaten.

An investigation IL now being made into
the naturalization Of all naturalized mem
bers Of the New York police force. Any
whose papers are fraudulent will not only
be dismissed, 1t Is understood. but will be
prosecuted by the United States authorities.
in a sensational shakeup in the Police
Department, as the naturalized men on
the force constitute 6S per cent. OF II. Some
frauds have already been discovered.
In the Street Cleaning Department the pro-
portion was 80 great among applicants for
Jobs that " it should befound to exist inthe
Police Department a third Of the es per cent,
or nearly a quarter Of the whole force, Would
be involved.
In the Street Cleaning Department In
hundreds Of cases the papers were bought
all ready made out or procured In some other
Of half a dozen fraudulent ways.
The new inv estigation Ia begun three
weeks ago when Police Commissioner
Bingham wrote to United States District
Attorney Henry A. Stimson asking that the
Federal authorities help out his Office In
seeing that the naturalization papers pre-
sented by the foreign born applicants for
jobs on the force are all right and according
to law. Commissioner Bingham pointed
out, it is understood, that the inspection
which the Federal authorities maintain
In the Street Cleaning Department had re-
suited in keeping many Illegally naturalized
men out of the department n suggested
that similar inspection would be Of great
service to him in the Police Department.
District Attorney Stimson not only agreed
to undertake the added work but is going
over the p pers of the men already on the
force. Three weeks have been put in by
the clerical force at Headquarters on these
records and on a roll of the naturalized
policemen. This has been completed,
except for the men taken on in the last year.
When this job is finished the investigation
on the part OF the Federal authorities will
begin and policemen found to have sworn
falsely will be dismissed and prosecuted.
The Federal authorities have been looking
into naturalization certificates for Commits
sioner Woodbury's department for several
years. The foreign born applicant for a
job is required to hand in his citizenship
paper with his application. The pa pers
are sent down to the Federal Building in
punches of ten to forty a day.
The investigation Of the papers is done
by a special naturalization bureau, headed
by Government Agent Dempsey c. Meetze.
Each case Ia looked up on the records. The
afidavits which each applicant for citizen
ship makes as to his birthplace, date and
port OF landing are gone into on the books
at Ellis Island or whatever port the man
says he landed at.
SC many of the certificates sent In from
the Street Cleaning Department are found
defective that prosecuting the holders for
perjury has become a m~onotonous routine.
Thirty-lve per cent. of all the naturalization
papers sent down by Commissioner Wood
bury are defective. The holders are usually
fined in the United States courts from s25
to $500 for obtaining them by fraud. The
more fragrant offenders are sen to prison.
Commissioner Bingham's attention was
drawn to the naturalization frauds which
are suspected in his department by one of
the examiners in a recent civil service
examination. This man disco vered that an
applicant who presented his full citizenship
papers had been in this country but two
and a half years, only half the time he had
sworn to. The mans application was held
up and criminal proceedings are pending
against him.
On inquiry Commissioners Bingham
learned that no further proof Of the citizen
ship Of an applicant Is needed in his de-
partment h the certificate Of naturaliza-
ton. This has been the rule az long as
can remember. 1t occurred to him
hat the system practised by Commits
stone Woodbury. would be a good thing
for the Police Department and the letter
to the Federal District Attorney soon fol-
lowed.
Fraud in securing citizenship papers
has come to the surface already. One
case has made certain the dispissal and
prosecution Of a certain officer attached
to an East Side precinct. This man wrote
to his younger brother in New York that he
wanted to come over here and get on the
force. But it was necessary to hold the
five years residence and naturalization
In order to get on, and he couldn't
afford to put In all that time in this coun-
try just waiting. Would the brother please
see that the first papers were got out so
that he wouldn't have to wait so long?
The brother took out a declaration, maxi
ing affidavit under the future police
. hhihO uhoo, hO hdd poOh III IN Soun-
try two years. In two years more the elder
brother came over to use his fifth year in
getting acquainted. At the end of that
time he made affidavit that he had been
here five years, showed the declaration,
got his full citizenship papers and got the
job.
The roll Of foreign born policemen will
be completed in a few days. just the names
for the last year still remaining to be COL
This done Commissions Bingham
will ~promulgate a general order that all the
born policemen hand dn their GER
for examination. This order will
be given out by the inspectors, and the
for each precinct WILDE collected at
the station houses.
Then the papers will be sent to Meetze, |
precinct by precinct. His force will 60
through them, making comparison with the
records Of arrivals at this and other ports.
1t is believed that the rank and file are not
only ones who got on thu force on
fraudulent papers. Over a dozen sergeants
and at least one captain are believed to
nave for the foundation Of their police career
q bogus certificate OF citizenship. A strong