Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-12
WORKS SCORES
JAIL AND POLICE:
MUST REFORM
PRESIDENT OF NEW COUNCIL
STARTS INVESTIGATION
DECLARES ABUSE OF PRISONERS
SHALL CEASE
Asserts Five Detectives Could Do the
Work of Those Now Employed,
if Properly Di-
rected

1.-The condition of the city Jail is
tion. 1t is totally inadequate and
abominably kept, and 1 cannot under
stand what the board of health has
been doing all this time to permit the
Jail to exist in the condition that it
now presents. 1t is the duty of the po-
lice commission to correct this state of
affairs, and the council is responsible
for the commission. If the commits
sions who have charge of this matter
do not act quickly enough it is the duty
of the council to see that they do"
This scathing arraignment of the
condition of the city Jail was made by
]. D. Works, president of the city
council, in his opening address to that
body yesterday morning. 1t was evil
dent that Judge Works felt keenly
everything he said. and that under his
leadership something will be done to
bring order out of a chaotic condition
that has existed in the city Jail from
time immemorial.
Not only did Judge Works condemn
the condition of the jail but he took
up the matter of other abuses that eX-
ist in connection with the police de-
partment.
I'VE have twenty-five detectives on
the pay roll of the police department,
each OF whom receives $3.50 a month,
continued the president. Il understand
that 80 per cent of the work done by
these detectives is directed toward Of
tenders against the state laws and not
the city ordinances The city is pay
ing for work that should be done at
the expense of the sheriff's office. L
believe that five detectives could do
the city's work, and if this is true we
are paying out $4,000 a month in eX-
cess of the amount that should be
paid. Again, the city Jail is used to
keep state offenders at the city's eX
pense until the time of their arraign-
ment. These prisoners should be kept
in the county Jail at the county's eX-
penSe.
Prisoners BrutaIIy Treated
Another thing that is a disgrace to
this city is the manner in which pris
oners are treated by the police officers
Men are arrested without warrant and
kept in Jail days at a time without
trial and are brutally treated. The
constitution of the state and of the
these police officers, and we must take
some measures that will correct these
evils. 1 want to see order brought out
of this condition of affairs
Judge Works rebuke was the result
of visit to the city jail made by the
city council under the guidance of the
grand jury. The grand jury called the
attention of the\ council to the. evil
condition of the city Jail and demand
ed that something be done.
No action was taken by the council
on Judge Works suggestions yester-
day, but they are soaking in, and the
council president does not intend that
a great while shall elapse before some
thing is done.
DR.. Sherwin Gibbons of the health
commission declared yesterday that
the condition of the city Jail had not
been reported to the commission.
But now that our attention has
been called OFT, even in this informal
way, the health board will immediate
ly take steps to learn of the sanitary
inspector in that district why he did
not see that conditions were made san
itary or report the matter to the board
of health"
Just before adjournment last night
the whole matter was referred to the
legislation committee with instructions
to make a thorough investigation of
all the evils pointed out by Judge
Works and report corrective measures.