The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-07
Plan to Abolish Payment Of
Witness Fees to Police
Officials.
GET SALARIES FOR WORK
That Is Contention of Persons
Backing Proposition =. TEST.
mony in Trials Of Cases Is
Looked on as Part OfDnty
They Are Paid For.

If q plan which has been suggested
to some of the court authorities be put
into force. 1t is expected that thousands
of dollars will be saved annually.
1t is proposed to be put into effect
on January / next, and is now being
considered by several leading county
officials. 1t is to bring about the abolish
ment of witness fees to police, members
OF the police departments in various
municipalities. as we'll as prosecutors
detectives and Sheriff's officers, all of
whom may figure in the arrest of GRIM
inals and the investigation of their
records.
Those persons back of the plan claim
that no witness fees are paid to the po-
lice or prosecutors men in other States,
and that in other places where fees are
paid the money goes into the pension
fund.
"There's no reason why officers of the
law who are paid handsome salaries
should receive extra fees for perform
ing their duty.
VERY often they are called a hair
dozen times or more and taken away
from their duties on the street and
linger about the courtroom, finally to
learn that their case had to be adj
| journed to accommodate n side or the
other, but they enjoy it. for it's a rest
for them. They are not locked in salary
and receive fifty cents each time they
appear in court.
'These facts can be verified by the
county reports. Some bluecoats and
sleuths are more fortunate than others,
and some realize $50 a year., n per-
haps more, through the present ptac-
tise."
Several persons who have carefully
looked into the matter nave discov-
cred that many of the police witnesses
tgo on the stand with evidence which is
not material and is ruled out. This is
often the case with superior officers es-
~pecially, who give only hearsay eyi-
dence. e,so-
1t is not known whether n law
would compel the courts TO pay the
fees, but an Investigation is being made,
and it is the plan, if such a require
ment exists, TO have 1t abolished. AS
sembIyman-elect William p. Martin,
who favors the economy, nay introduce
the amendment in the Legislature.
When several attaches of the police
department heard of the intended
change they limited that some police
officials were parties to it, and had OBJ
jected to Secretary Cox, of the Police
Board: Superintendent Schwartz, of the
Bertillon department, and Messenger
Jacob Ruhl being s~ubpoenaed in numer-
Gus leases in which they could furnish
only immaterial evidence.
Generally when a criminal is sent to
headquarters the three men above
have some routine share In the case
and are called as witnesses in that con-
nection. The police heads believe the
evidence obtained by the men VINO
make the arrests strong enough to fas-
ten the crime. More than once they
have expressed themselves in that way,
and recently the trio were not sub
poenaed as regularly as in the past.
In the various precincts the same sys-
tenn exists, and from the captain down,
~subpoenaes are served in various cases.
Occasionally the precinct commanders
do not even appear in court, but send
their su%bpoenaes with one of their sub
ordinates to receive the fee.
MANY claim that the article in the pre-
sentiment which was handed to Chief JUS
lice Gummere by the Grand Jury, whose
term expired last Saturday, with reference
ia the police as witnesses before the Grand
Jury, had something 10 40 Will INC pr"P"
sition to abolish witness fees. When bev
fore the grand inquest, many of the police
are inclined to bold back evidence which
they appear to possess, and 1t is only OBJ
tanned after continual q~uizzing by the
Jurors. Many Of the police denounced the
abolishment of witness fees when told Of
it today. They pointed out that for the
measley fifty cents they are oftentimss
compelled to sit and wait for their names
to be called by the Grand Jury, and again
on the date of the trial when their places
| should be really at home sleeping.
''Of course. It's all right to say that
we get double salaries and deprive the
city of time while witnesses, but you take
a policeman doing night duty who has TO
sleep during the day, and the thing means
axtro work for him.