The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-27
900 SLEUTHS SENT TO PATROL.
GEN. BINGHAM ABOLISHES PRE-
CTNCT DETECTIVES.

MI ANhAAN ~ " ~ NR W NNG |
Inspectors Stans and 10 Move Every
80 Days-NO Man Friday for the Cap
talns- Hard BLOW Dealt 60 Grating.
Every plain clothes man in the Police
Department was remAnded to patrol duty
yesterday by Commissioner Bingham. The
general order goes into effect at Q O'Clock
tonight and hundreds Of old timers who
lave not dOnned a helmet in years will
march out with a platoon, night stick in
hand. and pound the sidewalk.
A more sweeping order was never issued
by a police commissioner While Gen.
Bingham's transfer Of eighty-six captains
is regarded as the greatest shakeup the
department ever experienced, it is really
insignificant as compared with the jolt Of
yesterday which sends over six hundred
men out on patrol.
Hereafter all the plain clothes men who
do detective work in the precincts will be on
the staff of the inspectors OF the various
districts, and will he known as inspectors
men. Captains will have no detectives Of
their own. except patrolmen whom they
can temporarily assign to plain clothes
duty for q tour, or for t~~enty-sour hours
when necessary to run down a case. The
same men cannot be detailed in this way
more than once in "A week, except when
there is a prolonged investigation, and then
the captain must consult with his inspector
and get his sanction.
This latest sweeping change indicates
that Commissioner Bingham is determined
u put everything up to the inspectors.
From reports he has received from time
10 time he is convinced hat inspectors
have been closing their eyes to what has
been going on in the precincts under them.
When raids rave been made over their
heads the inspectors have been wont to
put the blame on the captains and the pre-
cinct plain clothes men. The new order
does away with this, for it puts everything
up to tho inspectors. Part of the order
reSds.
As in the past. so in the future. inspectors of
districts viii be held strictly to the RESPONSE
bl. ty laid upon them by paragraph A Of Rule 5
Of the Rules and Re gulations Of the Police De-
partment. They will make application at
once TO the Police Commissioner for such
plain clothes men as may be necessary, not
only TO do the wo rk required under the per-
sonsl supervision Of the inspector. but also TO
do the necessary plain clothes work in each
and all of the precincts comprised in their dis
fricts, and hereafter il will be the duty of in
s%pectors TO assign the work of all plain clothes
men in their districts. including those who are
needed to assist the captains in their pxecinct
work. Inspectors, when assigning men to
duty in plain clothes, will not keep the same
men in the same precinct for a longer period
than thirty days.
This means that as long as Commissioners
Bingham is at the head of the force there
won't be such a thing as the captains
man Three years ago the ward man" was
done away with in name only. Although
all the plain clothes men were imposed
to be on equal footing, there wasn't "a cap
tain who had not two men whom he re-
garded as his confdanN and who got the
cream and the choice morsels. In some
precincts the favored ones were put on
'squeals" and larcenies; the others got
picayune assignments. In precincts where
gambling houses and disorderly resorts
fourished the captains men did the work
that would reap a harvest; the others in
vestigated trihing -squeals." But when a
good case came up the shippers men were
put on the job. and the small fry would
Just trail along.
With Gen. Bingham's new order in effect
there won't be a possible chance for a plain
clothes man TO graft. In the first place,
the man assigned by an Inspector to do
detective duty will only remain in a precinct
thirty days. He will he there just long
enough to learn the ropes, then he will
fNutI ~ put udJh III ulllOTIH VI d~HlkhcA
10 another precinct IL he makes good.
10 further guard against any possible
grating the order commands inspectors
10 report in writing at the end Of each week
the station 70 which each plain clothes
man is assigned, the work assigned to each,
the duty he Ia performed and the number
o. arrests made and convictions secured by
hin, particularly the latter.
I The order goes On to say that one 81 it,
objects j. To effect closer cooperation in
police work between the inspectors ald
their -IDOrlinate officers, requiring IN
spector- TO be closely co1yersant with the
conditions ol police necessity In each pre-
cinct included IN their districts andrequiring
captain. 20 be in closer subordination and
cooperation zach with hi own inspector.
The pr.er does not suspend the right ~ a
c1pti, toda,iil not exceeding four police
reno 'ac1u,goinE p~ldtoonfo r plain clothes
duty IIung The tour, hut the -,ms n~H
ar" u.' o, ZEE I-ei more than once a week
Tie caI-aIn can also detail a cop Tor detec-
tive !uty Ior tWenty-four hours. hut FOR
iuager than that he must GET the inspectors
ierw siuu.
'rsu i--l1uer Bingham VA asked yes
t'rlay when he Intended - transfer tho
Inspector. and ~ r~pliei that ~ didn' .
luF lf h. pretty certain. however that
tr'ur' .png every INSPECTOR AMI many
90 tn" -~rrErant-. rOund-msn and patrol
mon .Hl n. ,h. ftsd.
lls- ''rr punches - puliticlans aruahl
I.t p tiguarteF~ Yesterday appar-
on Pol Z to - % lilo 'nmmu.-snnsr
' Paw" 1 tainz --n' hs"k 10 their old
y ,1"mau.- Hgt -h~re wa- nothing doing.
Oer lm ~puit 80 n1nr a th.m.
4