Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-27

wandering about and having no visi-
BILE calling or business to maintain
themselves.
Sec. 5121. Arrest Peace officers
shall arrest any vagrant whom they
may find at large and not in care of
some discreet person, and take him
before some magistrate of the county,
city or town in which the arrest is
made.
Under this section, 5121, the duty
to enforce this law and arrest vag-
rants is placed upon the policeman,
as well as other peace officers.
Sec. 5134. Who deemed tramp. Any
male person sixteen years Of age or
over, physically able to perform man
ual labor, who Is wandering about,
practicing common begging or having
no visible calling or business to main
tain himself, and is unable to show
reasonable efforts in good faith to Sc
cure employment, is tramp, and any
person convicted of being a tramp
shall be punished by Imprisonment at
| hard labor in the county jail.
| So 1t would seem that city officials
can enforce this law.
Sec $780, Unlawful fees. Any Off
Ger or magistrate who shall conspire
with any person to evade the
provisions of this chapter, or who
shall, with such intent, in any manner
or by any means, encourage a tramp
to remain within his jurisdiction or
come within the same, shall be fined
not exceeding one hundred dollars.
| y
1t is, therefore, not only the duty
of the policeman to enforce the vag-
rancy law, but knowingly failing 70
enforce it Is made misdemeanor
Under another section the police
man, as a peace officer, Is specially
given the duty of enforcing the law
against the sale of cocaine. Code
supplement Sec. 2596-c.
There are many other sections of
our code which give the policeman
power to and make it his duty to en-
force all state laws.
The policeman in his oath of office,
binds himself to the enforcement OF
not only the city ordinance, but the
state law, as well.
Section 1915. Revised ordinances Of
Ottumwa, Iowa. Every policeman
and Waterman, before entering upon
his duties as such, shall take and sub
scribe an oath to support the consti-
tuition of the United States, and the
constitution of the state of Iowa, and
to faithfully and honestly, without
fear, fraud or oppression, to the best
of his knowledge and ability, perform
the duties of policeman and watch.
man of the city Of Ottumwa.
w q
his duties shall be.
Sec. 1916. Revised ordinances. It
shall be the duty of every policeman
and watchman Of the police force Of
the city, at all times of the day and
night within the boundaries of the
city of Ottumwa, to preserve the pub
! lie peace, prevent Crimes, arrest Of
tenders, protect the rights of persons
and property, guard the public health
protect travellers at railroad depots
and other public places, preserve or
der throughout the city, and especially
at all public elections, and to see that
the ordinances of the city and laws
of the state of Iowa are faithfully oh
served, especially those ordinances
and laws which are made for the
suppression and punishment Of crimes
and misc meanOIS.
This makes it the duty of the 20
liceman to see that the laws of the
state of Iowa shall be faithfully OBJ
served.
Sec. 1881. Revised ordinances. II
shall be the duty of every police Off
Ger or Waterman to report to the Pc
lice Judge, or his clerk, or in their alb
sence to some justice of the peace
within the city, all violations Of the
city ordinances or laws of the state OF
Iowa, which may in any manner come
, to his knowledge. to arrest with ol
without warrant or process, any per
son or persons guilty of any violations
of the city ordinances, when such was
committed in his immediate view
.. also to arrest and take into custody
with or without warrant or process
any person or persons who may b.
found upon any street, alley or othel
public place in state Of intoxication
or fighting, quarreling, threatening
pilfering. stealing, robbing, or doin:
any act in violation of any Of the or
dinances of the city or criminal Law!
of the state, and bring him before tn.
F., police judge at the police court to b.
dealt with as by law and ordinance
provided. To arrest all suspicious
characters wandering about the thor
l oughfares or unfrequented parts o
the city, or any person or persons act
ing suspiciously, or any person or per
:. sons found upon the streets or alley
of the city at unseemly hours. -
In every place in our ordinances
Y where the duty Of the policeman i
i outlined, 1t is made his duty to Ell
/ force the city ordinances and crimina
: laws of the state. And there is abso
5 lutely no difference in his duty as t
e either
y 1t follows that there Is no founda
9 ton in law for the position taken b.
$ many that the policeman has nothing
l to do with the violations of state law
Y that it is not necessary for citizen n
first file an information before a DC
g liceman can do any thing with refer
: ence to the illegal sale Of liquor 0
), cocaine; that the policeman is no
e helpless in the matter of enforcing tn
V vagrancy laws or any other laws d