New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-07
EVERY MAN A POLICEMAN
Pay the Public for Arrests Is the
Latest Suggestion.

To the Editor OF Tie Tribune
Sir. The polio, problem now 81" APP
pallinsy prominent .n the public ,ye.
does not appear even with the aid o;
Wagner and other luy,stigduus commit
tees. % have been solved
The trouble. AS see j.. lies in the
plan and SCOPE of IN, department. ~
p.eseu, too complies to lend Itself 20 salts
factory operation.
Ia adequately d,ai.uc with crime OF any
kind three fundamental principles are
involved. each separate and distinct and
related So intimately to three separut"
and distinct Interests chat 30 Two Of
thcm arc susceptible ~ satisfactory COM
bluatiCu
The three fundamentals referred 90 ale.
The complaint the summons or arrest
ANA On. lriI The ltst is the duty OF the
public the second the duty OF the police.
and the third the duty OF the judss.
Mayor Ga,uor ia one Of his Illuminating
op!sties has said that any one of the
public Is entitled to make AN arrest but
that the proceeding is so unpleasant and
replctr with actual responsibility that
specialist policemen have been found
indispensable Tor this duty. So cugrosscd,
indeed. is the public 600 It's own private
affairs a.. making "a living that Il has
ln many Instances shUutcd its plain
duty that OF making the Complalnt-on
the shoulders Of the police az we'll Re
cent revelations have shown how tins
work.
The policeman who is great econ
D
do this extra work. to make tie conn
PLANT ana conduct the trial as well Tor
that matter but thinks he should be
paid for H. The public thinks otherwise.
and when the policeman has been shown
TO collect Tor SO DOING has dubbed him
CRATER"
Commissioner Naldos report for 1872
states that iGS.0a3 summons.s or arrests
were issued en- made. tile detectives maxi
ing twenty-five and the policemen thir-
teen or fourteen per man. Each sum
mons OF arrest. however trivial cost the
city 500 This is uu,mport1nt The inn
portant fact H. that SO many crimes are
boinS committed and so few arrests made.
10 increase the number of men or to
Increase the mems pay while working
under an impracticable system IS but To
Intensity disappointment on both sides.
An East Side pawushop was looted a
few days ago Of $1,000" The night be-
fore a strange man was seen to enter
the cellar from which the entrance was
made. suspicious glance might have
scared him or II WAS nobody's bust
ness to raise an eyebrow In the matter.
Yesterday one of the 23 United Cigar
stores was robbed Last night, the paper
says. each Of these stores was guarded by
detectives. II this be true. ID means that
the entire dctcctiv, force of the city was
occupied i'm caring for branch of the
tobacco business while every other III
terest was left to take care Of Itself Tine
devil never sleeps
The problem would appear 10 be how
to make the busy. lazy on Indifferent but
omnipresent public take like Interest IN
Its own affairs. The obvious method is
TO make 1t worth while. to pay FOR IT,
ana the great public. which Is after all
but collection Of individuals VIII quick !
iy respond
'tlme detection means crime prevention
why not put the business OF CRIME dclec-
'ioh which must necessarily piecede the /
complaint, on Il business OF commission
OASIS and invite the general public to
earn Tile fees. \ schedule OF fe"ards TOT
information leading To conviction appl- |
cable to every class of crime or INSIDE
meanor, graded TO suit the gravity OF the !
oHehoe' under ordinary circumstances |
would not prevent special inducements |
oeihg offered the detective IN speclai OF
extraordinary cases Collision between
Inc criminal aud informer would hardly
be possible. The most reckless criminal
would rarely be willing to pay fine OF
s. or remain five ,.ys in Jail To enable
his partner" TO oShln the 81 reward for