The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-04-27
BELIEVES IN
THE GOLDEN RULE
Chief Klinefelter States His
Policy.
uPH0lDS HIS POLICE FORCE
Asserts the Officers Are
Very Efficient.
Arrests are Made Not As a Persecu-
ton But for the Protection of the
Citizens and the Punishment of the
Vicious and Habitually Criminal.

'I have been asked by various In
terests just what our policy is and
what 1t does for the people of this
community.
"The real intent of the law is not
to punish or disgrace, but prevent
violations. Therefore, It aims not to
place anybody behind the prison bars
until It is shown that the person to be
arrested is the person who really
violates the law, and that the police
have sufficient evidence beyond a
reasonable doubt to satisfy any com
petent Judge that the person under
arrest has violated the law 1t affords
persons opportunity to explain before
being put behind prison bars as well US
afterwards.
According to our plan we do not
make arrests wnere Ihey would do
more harm than good. IL makes the
policeman the first Judge and 1t is
upon his testimony that judgment and
the final judge must come TO u con-
clusion as to what penalty to impose.
There should be no reasonable ques-
ton as to the guilt and who dares
say that u policeman should not use
discretion?
The Golden Rule" policy adds
character to the force and gets away
Lfrom the old idea that the police are
brutes and simply persecute people. It
Is u newer and better justice. 1t
never caters to crime or criminals. 1t
encourages and never discourages
men. The police force is for the pre-
vention of crime, the capturing of
criminals and those who make their
living by criminal means and prac-
tices and for the aid and protection
Of the public. Ii is not for the pur-
pose of causing the weak, the thought
less, the unwise and their innocent
relatives 10 suffer and be disgraced.
Through the golden rule plan we have
reduced the arrests for intoxication
and various forms of law violations in
the city. The old and general custom
OF making arrests has been abolished
Through months of study and OBJ
servation we are thoroughly famil-
discriminate methods of making
Wholesale arrests In first and minor
Violations, as in case of intoxication,
not only enhances the possibility OF
large number of second offcnses'
but proves conclusively that their ar
rest and arraignment had accomplish
ed harm. The innocent wives, child
ren, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers
and relatives, We're the sufferers and
very often they were deprived of even
the necessary food to sustain them
aiter the loss of time from work.
| lawyers and witness fees and pro-
fessional bondsmen, besides the var
lous ways Of pretending blackmailing
politicians In levying upon the de-
pressed, through their willingness to
sell Influence which they do not COM
mand.
This practice we have done away with
and dive-keepers, grafters, gamblers
hariots and suspicious persons have
received our undivided attention, with
the result that the strict police sur
veillance we have been able to main
tain toward this class, has made Il
almost impossible for them to operate
!, The disgrace and stigma of prison
contamination, even on the first of.
fender for intoxication, has its bear.
! ings on the offender later In many
cases the humiliation is so great tha,
he becomes a changed man and OTTER
Is thrown out of a good position. Is
not the golden ruls policy a bette,
one than hauling an offender before
: magistrate to bear the disgrace Of 9
police court record and then in al
probability be discharged, which Is
frequently the case. leave the aues
tion to your judgment.
: THE man needed to carry out tn,
, golden rule policy and see that IL 1,
carried out by the police officers
should be one of sound reasoning, COO
headed, and quick OF thought that hi,
J action may be of the proper sort. All
officer must not only think of what
mas happened at the time, but wheth,
er or not the man can be proven
guilty beyond reasonable doubt. II
many cases arrests are made on tn,
suspicious of the officers, with no
sufficient evidence to prosecute the al
legged offender. The local department
Is acting with the best of Judgment
and has been successful in prosecut
ing large number of violators
other than drunkards, who have beer
going unpublished for some time.
II believe our police force is mad,
up OF men of good Judgment ant
sincere In the duty expected of them
and for this reason the force is ca.
pable one and for its size is equal tc
any In the state"
~. W. KLINEFELTER"
"Chief of Police"