The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-02-26
Tells Of the Rotten Condition Of the Police Department When He Took Charge
and Points Out the Vast Improvements Of the Past Two YearsSOme In
side History oil Graft and Corruption

I run down these robberies were
committed BY boys ranging from
I 10 10 IA years Of age They we're
charged. on account OF their youth.
with ineoFrigibility. and afterward
charged delinquenis Most all these
rObberies were traced 20 these
boys. and in many cases and most
all cases they admitted the crimes
they had been connected with, and
some of them were bOid-ups Of an
aggravated character We arrest
ed 1876 of these boys during the
last year. Some we're committed
% the House OF Correction, some
were sent to the penitentiary. and
others we're given suspended sen.
fences Since we have broken up
this matter. and the parents ~
these children have begun to real
lie the necessity Of looking after
their children there has been
wonderful decrease.
Generally the winter seasons are
the worst seasons for the police
department. as the clemency OF
the weather drives the hobo" ele-
meut into large cities. As soon
as this started. instructions 10 the
men were 70 turn everyone In who
could not give account OF himself.
aud by diliRent work on the part
OF the men we were able 90 pro-
tect ourselves against crimes
which they would have committed
had they had the opportunity. 1t
Is needless for me 10 state the
number Of idle men Ia Seattle at
the present time. with idle men
coming In here from all over the
country. I think IL speaks well for
the department that We have got
ten along with SO few crimes un-
der these conditions.
Small Police Force.
We have a small police depart
ment in comparison 70 other cities.
In New York. think. they have
one patrolman TO every 600 inhab-
itanls: In Chicago. one TO every
700. and SO on In other cities. Here
We do not have one 10 a thousand.
and a billy country 20 patrol.
When YOU take all the conditions
into consideration. the increase in
population. and the hard times,
and figure the little crime which
WAS committed IN comparison
with that under former admins
trations. you can readily see
great improvement Were they to
publish a list % the robberies com
mitted in any two years. under
I former administrations. they
would have 10 print a special edf-
ton TO get them all in.
As 20 the murders committed. II
a al impossibiiity for the
police force 10 stop muir
der. for We cannot tell what Is in
the mind Of any human being. but,
by being given reasonable time
there Is no question but what We
will capture these men.
-Four or five years ago there
was a cold .blooded murder commit
ted here in which two Japanese
were hired 20 murder another Jap
anese. One OF them was captured
az the time and sent TO the peni-
Tertiary and the other was cap
tured here only two weeks ago and
made a full confession. duplicating
the man who hired them 90 com
nit the murder, who has also been
arrested
A short time ago a man muir
dered another one for robbery and
escaped. and after a few weeks
We captured him. He made con-
fession aud pleaded guilty. and ls
now on his way 10 the- peniten-
tiary There are few men out
nov who have committed murder
here. everything possible was done
10 capture them. and IL Is simply
a matter of time until we will sue
coed in capturing them.
There has been no criticism to
speak of on this department by
any paper but TO the contrary,
they have ali given US all the en-
couragement which they could aud
the fact of their cnucising this
department az this time will show
plainly that IL Is simply a political
proposition. We have kept the
department out of politics, and |
have appointed dozens of men and
never thought or cared what their
politics were. and my only instruc-
tons 10 them were that ! expected
them TO do police work and moth
J ing else.