New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-28
SPECIAL POLICEMEN GO
MAYORS Plan Is to Have All Men
. in Authority on City Payroll.
VALID CUTS OFF 100 MEN
Commissioner Ordered to Make
New Arrangement with Pub
lie Service Corporations.

In a second letter to Police Commits
s;,nor Waldo on the subject Of special po-
uceln,n Mayor Gaynor yesterday altered
somewhat HIS views as expressed in his
previous letter 10 the effect that private
individuals and private corporations
should he obliged to hire their servants
as best they can
The Mayor Acknowledges that it may he
all right 10 have special policemen on me
ferries and transportation lines. but holds
that they should look 10 tho city for their
pay. He suggests that a special fund he
deposited with the city by such corpora
lions as need special policemen. out Of
which fund the city may pay the salaries
or tho special men. and that the city con-
troll them through member of the regular
uniformed force. Mayor Gaynor's letter 10
the Commissioner follows:
Sir. PERHAPS I should further state that
II j. AL right for special policemen 10 ne
CmDloved nv the city on the ferries and Tor
other public purposes. The ohlecuon 10
special policemen Is 10 allow them 10 ne
in the employ and pay Of private moi
Niduals. II is contrary 10 the hrSt principles
Of government to allow such thing.
No public officer should he in the employ
and pay and subject 10 the orders or any
private individual or corporation. 10 PUT
S1lCn 4
oyitahle that he will obey the orders or ms
omnlOvcr instead OF actinC as sworn pun
JIG officer. from the standpoint OF ms pun
JIG duty only a. all public officers should
do. How can he do otherwise than obey
his employer when he may refuse 10 pay
him and discharge him unless he ooeys MS
orders?
The case Of the public service corpora
lions who carry passengers may also nc
different. They perform Il puoIic function
and the city may therefore need 10 ponce
them to 4 certain extent 10 protect pdSSen-
GERS Will YOU be so good as 20 prepare
mo a report on that subject. Let me know
The extent 10 which We police them now
and how II is done, and how. IN your luds-
nent. IL should be continued, II IL - 10 De
continued.
II NAV be proper to police them by spe-
cia policemen whose salaries are PAID by
them but IN that case We should not MAKE
SucCisl policemen OF any one or every one
presented by these corpora llohS, uuS w
should. on the contrary. constitute a special
squad Of special policemen, ana assign
them for that kind OF duty. under dlTec-
lion and control OF a discreet officer. and
change them from time 10 time, so as 70
do away with the possibility Of the COM
panies making them presents IN order "a
induce them 10 do things Wnch they
should not do as i'm the case Of strikes and
the like And, also. the companies should
dcposit q fund with the Police tommiS-
Sioncr in advance for the payment OF iheu
salaries. They should not be dependent on
The companies for paNment nut on the cltN'
I SuppoSe YOU are well aware that Wnen
these special officers permit an unlaWfu
arrest or battery and their employers are
sued for IN the courts decide that the en-
ploverS are not lila ble, ON the ground that
such special officers being public officers
yre presumed TO act from the standpoint OF
thcir public duty. and not under the orders
Of their employers. In order 10 recover
against the employer u Is necessary q
rrove that he ordered the unlawful thlns
IN he done. whereas i'm the case or his
regular employees he is liable for their un'
lawful acts. as a rule.
Won also know the trouble I had with
these special officers in the Cloakmakers
STRIKE The express companies strike anC
other strikes. The special officers i'm the
employ of employers in strike disputes com
1Dif am sorts Of unlawful acts. In the
.loaln7akcrS' strike the employees came "a
me and asked me to have list or theil
men designated as special officers for them
as they had as much right to specia
officers as the other side had. ] had q
admit that they had as much right % them
o~ tho employers had, and I therefore al
lowed neither side 10 have them hut had
moved 20 be- satisfactory TO both sides i'm
ss,ry strike and 1t is the only lawful way
Commissioner Waldo called I'm the shields
Z hundred special policemen yesterday
who have been doing duty in gray uni
forms. principally for banks and corpora
tons. The special policemen on duty in
the subway and on the elevated line sta
tons and a. the various railroad termi
nails would not be affected by the new
order. il was said at Police Headquarter:
Yesterday.
IL had been common practice for these
so-called special policemen. II was said. u
obtain authority at the Sheriff Office
where they were appointed as special dep
NV sherfIS. instead Of going 20 Pole
Headquarters for their badges. Commits
sioner Waldo. IL is understood is workin!
with the Sheriff I'm breaking UP this prac
ticc. II is designed 70 make special police
men directly amenable 10 the authority o.
the Police Commissioner.
Cemeteries. Juvenile homes, hospitals
The Society for the Prevention Of CRUELTY
60 Animals. the street Cleaning Depart
ment and the departments under the Con
troner Will all lose special policemen as q
result % the order.
The activities If the Police Commissioner
g. was said. will soon be directed toward
the host Of special officers who ar,
known 70 pose as official policemen al
COney Island MANY OF these cops act
- strong arm men and "uouucers' fOl
the UrOurietOrS Of resorts