The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-22
BIG HAUL OF FIRE BADGES.
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~ 4 suHil Me- that usrufteh "Wednesday
mufhioa N IA, wrsi Fosty slsth ssfert
fha fse,esty eutaistad N tadass Whleh
admitted iietu within The Ere iin~a Tho
Wrists N I'm ln'lasa said lhpy fef lHaulted
~ the ae,ian N Tho poiice, Accdsdlha ~
thesf aecoth, N N NE ~pollceuan, who we're
uadef me command n rapt SltnfheF man
N thn VEST Fufty .~y enth s'sest Station
hotss, vent aboit among thn eptaona
standing nraF tn hte, whenrvef = police.
man aaw = latae tln6sd 0n q mans ooat
he sna,ched N In No R~n,ie
'N's ofdefs,' waa the only explanation
M policeman would ave.
In acme raaea tha wease9e ~ the hadaea
protested that thu hadRes were their reFeonal
troprSty and that they we're thrSe On bust.
nepa, Some ~ these mon represented
hre Insurance COMPANIES. Thetr proteets
did no, avail. the policemen took thu badges
lust tho aafne and nut Tho wearers outside
tho IRE lines.
Several ~ the writer's lntimated that they
ropoaed 70 bring suit against the city for
manner. they reminded the Fire Commits
sioner that they had paid for the engraving
on the shields and had left deposits u $40
AT Fire Headquarters which were TO be re-
turned when they delivered the fire badges
10 the department. They wanted 10 know
why the Fire Department should give orders
10 have the shields sei1ed In such a manner
Fire Commissioner O'Bren was surprised
at the information contained In the letters.
He had not issued any orders for the seizure
Of the badges. Investigation showed that
the policemen had really made the eeigure
without orders and with total lack Of judg-
mont. II was said that they grabbed every
kind Of shield In view, except those on the
policemen and uniformed fremen. One Of
the Fire Department physicians was at the
i f5e fp TO t q Reli Sis offci s,etPbP pdas up r In e'% phS Ssa
clan. protested. but the policeman paid no
heed to the protest. The medical man
slipped his shield into his pocket and warned
the policeman not to modest him. The cop
thought better Of the matter and let him
alone.
The action Of the police was said yesterday
to be a new outbreak Of the misunderstand-
ing between the police and the firemen at
fires.
A few week ago Fire Chief Croker caused
tie nose 10 De turned on a crown Vi bpcCId-
tors at an East Side fire and incidentally
wet down a few policemen. Croker ex-
planned at the time that the police allowed
too many persons inside the fire lines, He
said there were too many fire badges given
to citizens.
1t has been the custom for many years for
the Fire Department to issue those shields
to representatives of fire insurance COM
panies, deputy sheriffs, fire insurance adjust
ers and others who are Interested in fires,
Capt. Zimmerman said last night that
every time there was a fire in his precinct
the iremen were greatly hampered by the
number of persons with fire badges who
got inside the police lines. At the fire on
Wednesday morning the captain says he
saw eight men with badges who he knew
had no reason to have them. He questioned
each man and found he was wearing a badge
borrowed from some one who was r%ightfully
entitled to one.
The captain took up these badges and
sent them to Police Headquarters. He also
nabbed. he says, a police card that was
made out for a reporter. This card was
three months old.