The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-13
IS BELLE LONDON
RUNNING THINGS?
This Is Pertinent Question Be-
Ing Asked Concerning Ogden
Police Department.
FORCE NOW IN STATE
OF CHAOTIC DISORDER
Hand of the Red Light Queen
Appears to Be Directing
Movements.
Special 10 The Tribune.

Specla! 10 Inc IEbDuNc.
OGDEN, Nov 12.-The police de-
partment of this city is threatened with
disruption Internal strife and bickcr-
ings between patrolmen and officials,
which have been going on for some time,
have placed the department IN such a
state of chaotic disorder and confusion
that the protection which every citizen
of the city expects from the department
is liable to be endangered unless the
source of the trouble is soon removed,
The police committee of the city
council, composed Of DR.. G. a. Dickson,
C. J. HUMPHREYS and President Sam
Browning, has long been aware of the
existing conditions in the department.
and. with the cooperation Of Mayor a.
L. Brewer, is laboring to arrive at some
plan by which the dissatisfaction now
existing can be remedied.s For several
weeks this committee has been 1nVestl-
eating charges and countercharges. but
an idea OF the difficulty which the
problem presents can be gained from the
fact that although at every session of
the city council something has been ex.
pected 10 Fdrop,' the members of the
police committee have maintained
sphinx-liEc silence until some are In
clined to tho belief that matters will 60
from bad TO worse and the discipline
ordinarily prevailing in the department
Will dwindle to nil.
One of the difficulties experienced by
the police committee in its investigation
is the aversion sof patrolmen to talk
out of school,
Source of Uneasiness.
From what can be gathered, the
source of the uneasiness and strained
feeling now existing is primarily due to
the system of managing Electric alley,
Ogden IS red light district, and incident
ally the apparent understanding ex-
isting between Captain of Police G. c.
spirit Of the district. One of the duties
devolving upon Captain Brown is the
collection of the "fines' each month
from the demimondes of the district.
Time and time again patrolmen have
arrested men and women in this district
for various misdemeanors and crimes,
and found that their official acts have
been criticised. Less than two weeks
ago one of the human parasites who
infest such places, living on the earn
ings of fallen women, was arrested by
an officer and brought 10 the station.
When questioned, ne declared that be
was hair-dresser by occupation, and
that he had been brought from Salt
Lake by Belle London. He brazenly
stated in public that Belle London had
told him fit would be all right for him
to come to Ogden,' and intimated that
she had "fixed" it with the police.
Other arrests have been made of slmi-
lar characters by patrolmen, and IN each
case the offenders have either openly
stated or intimated, their surprise at
being interfered with as they had been
promised immunity by Belle London,
and intimated that she was being
backed UP by the police. In every case
of this kind, the offender has either
been given "floater" out of town
or paid his fine, and the matter husbed
up. This condition Of affairs has caused
patrolmen to wonder how far their au-
thority can be exercised, and has natur~
allv bred discomfort and dissatisfaction.
Instance OF Dissatisfaction.
One instance of this dissatisfaction
has recently been brought to light
Fred n. Tout, who served In the de-
parrment for some time as sergeant,
but who, since the abolition of that
Office, has been in the employ of the
city as regular pstrolman,. has left
the police force. it is said, chiefly be-
cause of Misunderstanding or the
methods used in running the red light
district by Chief of Police Browning
and Captain Brown.
Last Monday night there was COM
munication from Chief of Police
Browning sent TO the city council ask
ing that the resignation of Patrolman
Tout be accepted. Councilman Thomas
"smelt rat,' and moved to have the
"resignation' referred to the police
committee. which was done. Inquiry
Mt the city recorders Office elected the
information that there was no such res
ignation op file, and it is probable that
the police committee will have no great
difficulty in ascertaining why. II is
understood that Patrolman Tout, after
finding that his ideas of proper arrests
differed from those Of Captain Brown,
agreed to resign from the department,
but later changed his mind and tore
up the resignation. Notwithstanding
this, it is said, Chief Browning asked
the council to accept the resignation
anyway.
This is one instance only of the
many complaints which are being cir
culated against the department, and
unless the police committee of the city
council goes TO the root of the trou~
bic and takes some strenuous measures
TO restore order. Il disorganized, ire.
sponsiblc and inefficient police force
will be the probable result.