The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-22
CHIEF SAYS HE Is READY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NEWS
Issues Lengthy Statement Expla ming Recent Order and Clearly
Defining the Attitude of the Department.

Acting under instructions from the
Police Commissioners. as well as to
explain the actions Of his subordi-
mates, Chief OF Police Louis Werner
Issued a statement to the public FRI
day, In which he says that no attempt
has been made to prevent the press
from getting all legitimate news. and
that he IL always willing to tell ev-
erything he knows that ought to be
made public.
The statement from the chief is a
result Of an attack that has been
made upon Thomas Mcmahon. head
OF the detective bureau. who has been
accused of being the censor of the
news of the secret service.
The statement from Major Werner
follows:
| Because OF the misunderstanding
certainly on the part of the news
| papers, and apparently on the part
of some OF the members of this de-
partment, as to the rules and orders
regulating the giving of police news
to the public. desire TO make a
statement setting out the policy of
this department In that regard.
II In the first place, for the most
part. the relations between the news
papers ana the department have al
ways been OF the most cordial nature.
At times, or from time to time, there
have been differences between indi-
viduals on the papers and in the de-
| partment, but the general. attitude has
| been one of friendiiness on both sides.
| So marked has this been that, when
| 1t has been considered wise, there
have been conferences between the
paprs and this department. especially
| l. t,~Fn 81 CHI III
be given to the press, when, how and
through whom. For instance, about
two years ago, there was a confer
| ence at which were present Commits
sioners Manning and Gordon, consti-
| tuting at that time the policy COM
| mittee, and myself. from this depart
| ment, and Messrs- A. b. Williams and
| John d. Murrell, of the News Leader;
| c.. b. Cooke, Of the Evening Jour
| nal, and r. w. Simpson, of the Times
Dispatch, We Opened up" very free
| ly and told these gentlemen that the
practice OF their police reporters OF
naming Officer This or Detective That
or Sergeant So and So as having ac-
compiished this or that arrest or re-
covery or piece OF detective work,
was resulting In system under which
each reporter has his pets" on the
| force. who would give him all the In
| formation in their possession, with
holding 1t from the men on the other
| papers, and in return, the reporter
| would ''play up" this or that officer
| In his paper, In consequence Of which
| there was a great deal of jealousy in
the force. both uniformed and plain
clothed. all perfectly natural and hu-
man, but dsnoralizing.
Treat All Alike.
On our side We agreed to do our
best to treat all the papers and their
representatives exactly alike. to allow
them free access to the records of
arrests and ordinance violations, and
to give them all Information as to
matters OF public interest. even though
not finally made public through ar
rest or report. that should not be In
compatible with the efficient proven
ton and detection of crime and law
lesSness. This worked very well for
o time. and then gradually the papers
again dropped into the habit OF men,
ttontng officers names. No particular
paper started this. however. and no
particular kick" has been made
against the practice. so l do not cite
this as an instance of bad faith--t
Is more like carelessness on both sides.
/ mention this agreement merely to
iative terms the papers and this de.
partment have always been.
No Desire to Suppress.
Now. as to news Itself: There has
never been the slightest disposition
or with on my part to keep from the
pspers any matters OF record. sucn
al arrests or reports, unless the pub
iieatio nor such information might
impede the work of this department
The blotters at the stations. In which
arrests ave entered, and the ordinance
docket In which reports Of ordinance
violations are entered. are always
open TO inspection. The reports OF
officers to headquarters In regard TO
crimes and offensea tor which arrests
have not been made, and the publ
cation Of which might impede or pre-
vent auch arrests are not however.
iptanded for publication. II they
were. there would be no such thing
az detective work OF secret service"
work, or whatever you choose to call
II. 1t goes without saying that the
publication o. the suspicious or in
formation a. o}Acere ~ to the COM
mission az 4 &ftl4e would serve az
VII vlEl sps1k npsr ~ 70 fn-