The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1909-03-13
A BLOW AT THE POLICE LAW

HE legislature should go slow in tnkenng with he Nevada State Police
law. The law in the main is right and the people OF the state have p
= proved it by their votes There are I'M defects, to be sue, but they
can " remeded without weakening the efficiency # the measure.
Two or three amendments to h bill hav been offered in the assembly
the past week. 1t is vGy apparent that they were offered by enemies Of the
La n would practically render it useless. oozt 81
it was enacted, but failed; they tried to get n expression against the law
after it was enacted, through a referendum VOTE but failed; they are now
attempting 10 emMculate it in the assembly by amendments, but We predict
they will fail in this instance, also.
has worked satisfactorily. For two or three months after the law went into
effect the lew police force. unacquainted with thdrd duties had considerable
tiles, jealous of their preroga.ives, were as much 20 blame IS the State Police;
nevertheless the friction existed and it became necessary % call in the mem
bers # TIT force for further instruction. They were made to understand,
that whle the letter of the law gave the State police authority Il act in all
cases., " to the most petty ofenses, it vas lot the spirit Of thu law that
they should interfere with the local authorities in minor onenses and local
regulations, unless it became clearly evident that the local authorities were
totally incapable or wilfuny negligent in the performance of their duties in
the enforcement of Law and preservation of order. Since the members of the
police force were called in and instructed in their duties there has lot been
the first word OF complaint. In fact most parts of the state had forgotten
there vas UGH IN Institution as the Nevada State Police. for the activities
If the police force have been mainly in the direction OF running down cattle
thieves in tn northern part Of the state N in appreaendng escaped o
sicts If the law vas amended to define more clearly che duties o the police
with reference to petty crimes and local authorities, there could b no obhc-
ton. In fact it would be desirable.
authority Il the governor t o the sherias in the disposition o fte police, and to
sent. The amendment provides that the governor nor the state superintendent
If police, shall send police into any county until a rsqusition is hrstm made by
the sheriff of the county; that while within the county. the police shall be sub
jct to the order and commands If the sheriff.
Should this amendment prevail the whole structure OF the police law
would fall. It was the purpose of the law to have an independent force a
yaer9d the local, utborite, inemcient or unwiaing 10 enforce the law Of h
state 1t was more particularly to meet just UGH an emergency that he law
was passed. and it was brought about by conditions such as " e have named
Every m remembers thu state of things during the highest tension of the
aodhed labor troubles. The lay and order element had Host all confidence in
the sherin's omce-rghty or wrongty-and the town a in terror. If thu
sheriff at that time had 50 wished, lie could W handled the situation by
swearing in a sumcent number of the right kind of deputies. This he would
not do because, a. it wal charged, he was in sympathy with the element that
held tn town in terror With a law such as proposed by this amendment
in effect, what good would be a state police at Carson City, though a community
be in riot an thu sheriff unwilling to call fr help. It is rot likely that such
a ccndidon as this would often arise but W know it would never arise with
a flying squad # State Police at the governors command. Destroy the autho-
iy # the governor, and you destroy the law.
AS the amendment proposed is aimed 1t the veyv italso of the aw, we d.,
not believe it will pass the general assembly. 1t certainly should not.