Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-09-11
EDITOR
As TO SPECIAL POLICE REWARDS

.rz = = u
The police and fire commission will take a
long step toward the reorganization of the po-
lice department ON the basis of efficiency if it
adopts the proposed regulation prohibiting POI
lice officers and officials from receiving money
from private parties or from aoutside sources. /"
The abuse of place and power in the local de-
partment is not yet very serious, but it threat
ems to become serious. In one case at least an
official seems as much bent on chasing private
rewards as on carrying out the duties of his po-
siti0n.
Why should one member of the force, solely
because ofhis position, be the beneficiary of pri
vate rewards? In reality, he has been able to
reap his harvest through the existence and the
activity of the entire department Why should
a police officer be given money in addition to
his salary for performing the duties of his po-
sition?
AS a matter of equity, the ordinary rewards
should be distributed throughout the depart
ment or 60 into benefit fund for sick, disabled
or superannuated members In case an officer
should show conspicuous bravery, energy or in
'tellgence in handling a case for which special
reward is offered, in case he performs some deed
Of herosm, he should be entitled to unusual rec
ognition. But no member of the department.
from the sheriff down, should be the beneficiary
of q constant stream OF money from private
sources secured simply because he is in an adj
yantageous position to make arrests or appre-
bend fugitives from justice, and because infor
nation comes to the police department and GER
tain work is thereupon assigned to him.
The civil service commission has good prece
dent for proposing this regulation Large cit
les on the mainland have seen the danger of al
lowing their police officers to take for them
selves money offered the police service in gener-
al. The commission has already set a local prec-
edent by formulating a similar restriction for,
the fire department If the rule is to be made
for the fire department, it certainly should APP
ply to the police department.
One of the complaints frequently heardtabout
the work of the police-and this refers no more
TO the police of Honolulu than to the police of
many mainland cities-is that they will devote,
special effort to cases in which they expect spe-
cial money rewards. That is a natural thing to|
do but it is not the right thing to do The poor
man whose house is burglarized ought to get just
as energetic service from the police in running
down the criminal as the rich man who puts up,
five hundred or a thousand dollars as q reward.
The regulation suggested is this:
sAll moneys received by any officer member Of
the police department from private parties, corpor-
aons Individuals for services ordinary or extra
ordinary, rendered by them in their capacity po-
lice officers shall be reported In writing by the of
ficer or member receiving the to the Honolulu
Civil Service Commission and all such moneys shall
be paid into fund to be known the Police Re-
ward Fund" the distribution disposition of which,
c. any time, shall be vested with the entire menu
bership the police department. subject to the APP
proYal of the Honolulu Civil Service Commission"
The principle of this rule is right and it Isl
progressive The rule might be supplemented
with a provision by which an officer showing
conspicuous bravery or performing some UNI
usual act of valor or prowess would be entitled
to special reward from the fund. The general
of this fund is safeguarded, and the
police department and commission will doubt
less handle it carefully and equitably.
Acting Governor Mott-Smith threatens to,
break the officeholdng record established some