New-York tribune., 1910-10-22
THE POLICE CHANGES.

The reorganiZa ton of the Police De
partment which Mayor Gaynor has IN
dertaken is highly welcome Even out
going officials seem ready to testify that
the administration of the department
was inefficient and that the force is
thoroughly demoralized. Mayor Gaynor
inherited his Police Commissioner. and
the general impression has been that he
was merely retaining him as a stop-gap
until a change for the better could be
made. The insecurity of his tenure and
the evident purpose of the Mayor TO
minimize his freedom Of action naturally
destroyed the Commissioners sense of
responsibility and weakened his author
ity over his subordinateS. Moreover,
bis correspondence with Acting Mayor
Mitchell disCredited him with the public.
He appeared to be out of sympathy with
the popular demand for a reformation of
police methods. and it was evident when
his letters TO Air Mitchell were pub
lished that a change in his office could
rot he much longer delayed.
Mayor Gaynor is right in selecting a
Commissioner and deputy commission
ers in whom he has both personal and
official faith The work of the depart
ment should not be directed in all its
details from the Mayors chamber.
Commissioner needs ample authority Of
his own to deal with the element in the
force which has labored for years to
make it self-perpetuating self-gOvern-
ing machine. operated for the profit of
insiders without much regard for the
wishes or opinions of the local admins
tration. General Bingham did some
thing TO break down the inner police
ring before he was undermined by the
politicians who forced him out Of office.
Since his retirement there has been a
relapse TO the old conditions of insub-
ordination and anarchy. If Mayor Gay
nor hopes to reintroduce discipline and
TO bring the police force as a whole to
an understanding of its proper functions
as a guardian Of law and order. he must
give his new Commissioner wide lati-
tude and ample power. What he calls
the corrupt minority" in the police
force Will have little TO dread from a
chief in leading strings. The successful
Commissioner will he one strong enough
10 work out the salvation of the depart
ment largely on his own responsibility
and in his own way.
The Mayors programme of police re-
form is one of steady and orderly prog
ress from present conditions TO some
thing better. The public. we think. is
rot greatly concerned about the methods
by which progress is 10 be made. 1t
will not shrink from sensational noise
and scandalizing of the city" If police
evils can he more effectively attacked in
that way. Explosions now and then
clear the air. Systematic, quiet and con-
slant work is. Of course, TO be preferred;
but the public is more interested in re-
suits than in methods. Mayor GaynOr
has succeeded in ending various petty
abuses TO which citizens have been sub
jected at the hands of the police He
is evidently earnest in striving to civil
iZe the force and TO make it as obserTant
Of the laws as other people have to be
The task Of driving corruption ont of
police administration and breaking the
power Of the alliance Of the inner ring
with the plundering politicians is still
before him. We hope that the changes
at Police Headquarters are an evidence
that the warfare on that alliance has
been vigorously begun