New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-05
BACK TO THEIR UNIFORMS
Mayors Visit to Night Court
Bears Quick Fruit.
PLAINCLOTHES DUTY ENDS
Stupid Arrests Another of the
Things City's Head Saw That
Angered Him.

what the Mayor had to Say yesterday
about the stupidity shown in the arrest
| OF many OF the persons arraigned in the
night court on Wednesday night when he
was visitor there. They had better paste
| It In their hats and act accordingly be-
cause the Mayor was much interested in
| what he saw, and tho administration of
| justice in the police courts will receive
more Of his attention when he comes back
from his vacation.
| The Mayor declared that fully two-thirds
Of the prisoners arraigned before Magis-
| trate Murphy had been arrested through
| stupidity or ignorance, and Commissioner
Baker, who is at present on his vacation,
| will probably hear from the Mayor on the
| establishment Of some sort of rules for
| the guidance Of stupid members of the
| force.
| One thing that surprised the Mayor ex-
| tremely that men on the force were
| still working in plain clothes in spite Of
| his order Of June q remandins all the
piainclothes men back to patrol duty.
| On investigation yesterday he found a rule
In the department providing that men may
be detailed In plain clothes for seventy two
| hours. Most Of the men working in that
way had been detailed successfully, so
| their assignment was practically a contin-
uouS one.
PIainclothes Work Over.
At the direction of the Mayor Acting
Commissioner Bugher Immediately sent
| back to uniform all the men doing plain
| clothes DUTY. The men affected included
| five lieutenants, eleven sergeants and
| twenty-five patrolmen. Acting Commission
| er Bugher refused to comment on the Or
der, simply saying that it was for the
good of the service"
The Mayor was considerably impressed
| In his visit to the night court with the
| injustice done to many persons by the
| stupidity of policemen who arrest them
without sufficient cause. When he was
asked regarding his impressions he said
yesterday:
What l saw convinced me that the only
necessity for the night court is for the
prompt discharge OF persons stupidity or
unjustly arrested by stupid or vicious po-
| lcemen, instead OF having them locked up
all night or making them the victims OF
the professional bondsmen. 1t is no injus-
| tice to hold overnight persons justly ar
rested They should look out.
But two-thirds of those brought in last
night were stupidity and needlessly arrest
ed, and one or two of them corruptly to
extort money, and understand that pro-
portion is the rule. The careful and pru-
| dent magistrate, who presided in the most
admirable manner, had to discharge them
one after another.
Stupid Men Of the Force.
The policemen who make these stupid
arrests are the stupid men of the force
int jcoD do do II. [ saw
| few intelligent policemen arraign prison
ers One policeman brought in a boy who
threw rubber ball In the street. He
should have stopped him only. Another
brought in boy who danced on a build
ing platform the street.
Another brought in two men who were
Quarrelling He had only to separate them
and send them Off They had done no harm
at ALL Another brought in two men on
similar charge Of battery. Their dispute
was perfectly harmless. It was only neces-
sary to tell them to stop and go along. A
London policeman would hardly notice
them Another brought in man for dis
putting in a hall with his sister-in-law. The
officer assumed to interfere. and when the
man took his number he arrested him.
There was no ground for the arrest
Three men were brought in for talking
in a loud and boisterous manner, as the
policeman put it. The officer was unable
to state a thing they said OF did Three
men were brought in charged with drinking
beer out Of can. The kind magistrate
asked what that mattered. A few minutes
later another stupid officer brought up
| three other men on the same charge
Mayor Cites Another Case.
"A boy who drives delivery wagon
until late every night for a large depart
ment store and walked out to the corner
within Ave minutes after getting home
and eating the supper his mother saved
| for him, was stupidity lugged off for loaf
ing and obstructing the street 1t was
painful to see the poor fellows lips tremble
as the magistrate looked at him
"One officer arraigned a cook whom he
arrested as he came off a boat for steal
ing a cold chicken. Some one said he stole
II, and the officer made the arrest unlaw
fully That an officer may not arrest
without q warrant for a nlisdemeanor I'M
less he saw It committed seemed never to
have entered his head. He looked too
stupid to understand IT. There was no
evidence Of larceny.
These are a sample Of what I saw. It
discharge after discharge. When an
intelligent officer and then arraigned
a prisoner it was for good and serious
cause. Intelligent officers know better than
to make trivial and foolish arrests. They
smooth things over and pass
Another thing that struck the Mayor
forcibly was the uselessness Of holding for
Special Sessions persons charged with triv-
ial misdemeanors. He believes tn magis-
trates should have the power to pass on
such cases the spot.
Advocates a Reform.
Speaking of several cases of small lar
cenies that came up, the Mayor said:
1T plain that the best way was to
have them finally disposed of then and
there. But The law has been tinkered
with until the magistrate cannot even take
a plea Of guilty.
''MSdemeanor cases, however trivial,
have to be held for the Court of Special