Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-22
SAY POLICEMEN
PROTECT VICE
OFFICERS SEEN FREQUENTLY
IN ALL-NIGHT CAFES
Regular Member of the Force Is Em-
ployed as Official "Bouncer"
in Spring Street
Restaurant

What probably is the greatest cause
for criticism of the police department
since Prosecutor Woolwine charged
that vice was protected, and one that
/, lends color to all the allegations of the
city prosecuting attorney, is the fact
that the downtown cafes, restaurants
and resorts where wines and liquors are
sold indiscriminately. and at all hours
of the night and day, are apparently
under the protection of regular patrol
men of the Los Angeles police depart
ment. This charge has been made fire.
quently of late.
| In almost any of the all-night res
taurants which serve drinks to men
and women, boys and girls alike, 1t Is
no uncommon sight to see policeman
in full uniform walking about in the
rlace, apparently there for the purpose
of keeping order for the proprietors.
| Whether or no there is any arrange
ment between the officer and the man.
ayers it is a fact that Patrolman Pur-
cell, doing night work on the Main
street beat. can be seen frequently IN
the Eureka and Heidelberg cafes, ano
this case is declared to be but one OF
many.
| 1t is said that drinks are sold in these
places to men, women, boys and girls
without meals and with no pretense oi
serving even sandwiches with the
| drinks. Patrolmen, it is declared, view
/ all this, and, despite the fact that there
| is rule of the police commission and
an ordinance of the city which pro-
hibits this very thing, no attention is
| paid to il.
There is another rule of the police
department which is that an officer ni
the department in UNIFORM IS not al
Icwed to enter a saloon or place where
drinks are sold, unless be Is caJleo
therein in the performance Of his duty
| This rule is violated hundred times 4
day by almost every Officer of the de-
partment.
Policemen Violate Rules
| There is another rule of the depart
meni Whica prohibits regular Officers
of the department from accepting em
plCyment in saloons, cafes restaurants
where liquor is sold, dance halls, etc.
during their hours off watch, yet there
| have been many glaring instances OF
the violation of this rule, the mosi
notable of which at the present time Is
the employment in an all-night cafe or
Spring street of Patrolman Earl Busse
as watchman. Busse is employed dur
| ing the day in the patrol captains office
working. in plain clothes.
| AS soon as his tour of duty is ended
| late in. the afternoon and after the
early night rush of pedestrians is of
the streets he dons his patrolman'
uniform and goes to the cafe, where
| he acts as 'bouncer," head factotum
everything, apparently, except drini
| server.
| Police Captain Broadhead being aske'
about the employment of patrolmen II
such places stated that there was
rule of the department against 1t, ant
| that to his knowledge no OFFICER wal
so employed He intimated that l.
such knowledge came to him the guilty
| officer would be disciplined.
There may be nothing materially
wrong in the employment of regular
policemen as watchmen and bouncer:
| in these resorts" remarked wei
known citizen last night, "but 1t looks
bad. am not charging that any police
officer is knowingly protecting the own
ers of these places in violating the law
| for 1 do not know of any such in.
stances, but police officers should avoic
even the appearance of evil If they
would serve the city best. If any of
ficers are employed in such places thefl
superiors should call them out at once
and see that they do not return to sucf
work. 1t doesn't do the name of Los
Angeles any good to have 1t advertised
| that, after going off duty as pro
tector of the citizen from vice, an Of
| ficer goes on watch in a haunt OF vice
to protect the law breakers"