The Washington herald., 1908-03-01
NEED SECRET POLICE
New York in Grasp of Evil
dOers, Says Bingham.
CHARGES AGAINST ALDERMEN
Police Commissioner Says City
Fathers Are in League with
the Office Under Existing COndi-
tiOns-Fears Greater Crimes.

New York, Feb. 2S.-Admitting that If
he had known what wac ahead of him he
would never have accepted the position
OF police commissioner, Gen. Bingham
took occasion to-day to refer again to the
action of the board of aldermen in refus-
ing TO grant him the appropriations he
had requested for enlarging the force
and establishing secret service bureau.
the latter 90 cost $4,000 a year.
Some Of the aldermen" he said. are
in league with the crooks. Give me the
secret police and I'll put some men be-
hind the bars.
I want To say too. that il l could have
foreseen all the things that We're ahead Of
me. would never have taken this job;
but now that I'm here. I'm going to stay
here. I'm not in a hole. Don't go away
with that idea in your head When my
job is finished. I shall quit. and not until
then. And when 1 do 90. you can bet my
going will be felt I'll leave a dent in
the department. I know the business. and
1 know my men. and they know where I
stand. They know I'm on the square.
know. too. that the New York policemen
are as good as any in the world to-day.
Police Needed.
What We need more than anything else
is 1.400 more policemen. I Will have 600
shortly but even .4OO men would not be
sufficient. AS TO these Secret Service de-
tectives, want 10 get the best detectives
in the world. I know of only two men in
the world l would select who answer
every requirement. I won't say who they
are They would only be known TO the
mayor. myself. and two others. Detec-
tives are of no use when everybody
knows them"
That New York is bound 10 experience
before long the murder Of some promi-
nent citizen at the hands Of burglars. as
a result OF the epidemic OF crime, =" which
the police seem powerless 10 stop. was
the prediction made to-day by William S
Devery. the best chief Of police New
York ever had Crooks have the right
of way now. DeEery insists, and several
murders viii be the result, he fears.
There never was sc many desperate
criminals loose in New York. and work
ing just as free and easy as organ grind
ers" Devery declared. THE man who
commits burglary in the first degree faces
twenty years Imprisonment, for the first
offense. If he is caught and as good as
life for the second.
VIII shoot to Kill
He doesn't want 10 be moIested. and
IL he is. he is going TO kin. There is
going to be a murder in this town by
frst-degree burglar as sure as the tide
changes. The lives and property Of New
York people are not safe. Women are
not safe in their own houses. mean
all this because it is time the people were
waking from their trance"
Devery then paid his compliments to
Commissioner Bingham. saying:
Conditions in the police department
are rotten. Commissioner Bingham
should be indicted, and IL the district at
torney doesn't ln3iet him the people
ought 10 make him tell why.
Bingham says there are two places
within half a mile Of the Waldorf-As-
toria where you can hire men to commit
any kind of a crime. and he can't touch
these places. If that is so, Bingham
ought 10 be removed or sent 20 jail"