New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-01
POLTCE REFORMS.

Commissioner Bingham deserves the support
Of ell good citizens I'm his efforts to rentroduce
discipline and suhordnatiOn in the Police he
partment. The radical fault Of our police sys-
tenn is it's dispersion Of authority. The Mayor
appoints the Police Commissioner and can re
move him al pleasure His tenure Of office Is
relatively brief In the last five years we have
had four different commissioners. But while
the tenure Of the head OF the force is short and
his power is more or less nominal, the suhOr
dinates on whom he must depend for efficient
service have so intrenched themselves by legiS
lation that their status is one of virtual indie
pendence Once an inspector always an inspcc-
tor is the rule of the department. and the Leg
islature in a mistaken attempt to protect them
from political or personal persecution has given
the inspectors and captains certain vested rights
which practically guarantee them against re-
duction or removal These higher police Off
Gals can combine to defeat the policy OF the
Commissioner. and long as their resistance
Is passive. not overt, he is helpless either to
discipline them discharge them
General Bingham properly insists that the
Legislature must give him some real power II
he is TO get better work out of the police force.
The first step toward reform is TO break down
the present police autocracy. The Commissioner
must have freer hand in choosing his lieu
tenants and agents and he can compel the
If he is invested with the right 70 reduce as
we'll 10 promote General Bingham is salts
fed that If he is allowed to make and unmake
inspectors selecting them from the grade Of
captain and returning them to that grade when
convinced that they not properly perform
ing their duties he control the whole force
and oblige II 10 work for public not private,
ends Hitherto the police autoCraCy secure in
its own tenure, has TOO often committed itself
RI oil vritb o,,+C{ int
behest Of politicians has protected certain privl-
legged forms Of vice The politicians have acted
as the go-betweens the distributors OF favors
and collectors Of gratuities from the lawbreak-
ers. Until police officials generally are inspired
with some sense Of responsibility TO and de-
pendence on the Commissioner he will strug-
gle In vain 10 break up this highly profitable
system of colluslon and backmail
As a corollary to his demand for power 10 re
duce inspectors General Bingham asks for
reorganization OF the detective bureau He
wants to enlist a body of detectives half
from the force itself and half from private life
that check can be kept on irregularities
which the present bureau has been encouraged
TO overlook. The District Attorney critlcising
Mr.. Bingham's proposals on Wednesday night
declared that the Reorganization Of tie detective
bureau would be reform enough" 70 expect at
one session Of the Legislatur and expressed
the decided opinion that the inspectors and their
hackers would be able 10 defeat any proposi
ton to make inspectorship details revocahle at
the VIII OF the Commissioner. We do not see
however why this essential feature Of General
B'nghaln's plan should be abandoned at the
frs cry Of opposition We must face a change
OF This sort sooner or later. and it would be
well 20 force the advocates Of the old system
Of impeyrunl IN itaDeYiO 10 show their hand this
winter nj Albany