Evening journal., 1914-05-13

rectlOn ana control OF the board OF TO
lice Commissioners"
1T was in accordance with these
resolutions that was employed by
the Board of Police Commissioners
TO thoroughly investigate the meth
ods employed by the police depart
ment and recommend to the depart
ment such changes as in his opinion
will make il more efficient. The
language of these resolutions, espe-
cially the parts of them-the most
important parts-which | have quo
ted are so easy of Interpretation that
/ hardly believe that there can be any
question as to whether they mean
precisely what / have done. 1t viii
be observed that the resolution of the
Board of Police Commissioners, the
body employing me, said. THAT such
person to- be selected by and to be
under the direction and control og the
Board of Police Commissioners and
to this body the report Of my investi-
cation and my recommendations as
to such changes as in his opinion
will make it more efficient were
made.
1T may have been that Council or
the Board of Police Commissioners OF
both bodies intended to put more in
their resolutions than they really did,
and desired me to go further than
did in my report, but l kept within
| the lines drawn by their resolutions
and did not when / started the work,
nor now, believe that l was author
| lied to overstep those lines. Their
resolutions apparently we're drawn
with the sole object of obtaining in
formation as to how the citys police
service could be made efficient, and
l believe that my recommendations
are ample towards that end.
"Under the date of April "a, 1914
some weeks after | submitted my re-
port with numerous forms, plans and
pamphlets to the Board of Police
Commissioners l received the follow
ing letter from Mr. Clarence NJ. Dill
Ion, Clerk of Council:
"'Dear Sir:-I am directed by
Council to request you to meet its
members in the Council Chamber Of
City Hall. this city, at 8 o'clock, Fri
day evening, May LIST, 1914.
"'Will you kindly inform me
whether or not you will be able. tC
attend?
Every respectfully yours,
clarence NJ. Dillon,
"'Clerk of Council
For some reason there was a de-
lay in this letter reaching me, but OF
April 29th, 1914. the day after l re
ceived the letter, l wrote to Mr.. Dill
Ion, as follows:---
Dear Sir; I have yours of the
oath instant in which you inform
me that Council of your city di-
rected you to request me to meet
them at a session to be held at
City Hall on Friday evening, May
lst, 1914. Il was not until yes
terday that / received your COM
municatiOn.
am exceedingly busy with
several very important cases and
will be Obliged to you if you will
kindly inform me as to the rea-
son my presence is requested at
the time specified"
For some mysterious reason
have not received an answer to tina
letter, despite the fact that cOmmo
courtesy called for an answer.
"When MIR. Dillon called upon me to
day he admitted that he had receive,
my letter and when ! asked him VIII,
he had not answered it, he said he di'
not do so because he had not had tim
y to do so. He informed me that Coun
ell simply invited me, and l asked hin
to tell me the reason Council wante
i me to appear before them. He sal
there are some parts of my report whic
they do not understand. | requeste
him to explain to me what parts o
the report they do not understand an
his answer was that he could not ex
, plain Just what parts of the report ar
, not understood. / told him that whe
a / submitted my report to the commits
. sioners / informed them that if ther
was any part of the report which the
the body under the law responsible
, for police service in Wilmington-coul
n not understand / would be pleased I
explain it to them and even went S
far as to assure them that ] woul
/ demonstrate the operation or any {
those recommendations which / il
cluded in my report.
"Mr. Dillon told me that Council wa
anxious to know something about tn
cost of my recommendations. IL is I'll
business of ,ne commission, as / inte
y pret the law creating that body,
J. know what it costs for police servi'
y in Wilmington, and l told Mr.. Dillc
J. that since making my report l ha
IS complied with a request of the poli'
e commissioners on this point by givr
u them figures as regards to certain cos
II which were not specified in my repor
T; in regard to other costs requested |
e the commission, ! explained to the
how such costs could best be obtaine
III considering the desirability to get Il
III lowest possible figures.
"Mr. Dillon said | had stated som
thing in my report about certain persoi
n being inefficient. ! did not designa
% any individual as inefficient, neither q
Is resolution of Council nor the resoluti'
L of the Board of Police COMMISSIONS
re made it obligatory upon me to do S
Ell But aside from this it is not my OPT
+. ion that police efficiency is obtained
officially decapitating this or that mel
= ber of a police servUe before the bas
IS of general efficiency in a department
If an efficient SYSTEMS introduced al
+. operated.
l. q plainly told Mr.. Dillon al
8: agreed that he should convey what
r, said to Council that If it is the obie
+ of certain members of Council to ha
4 me, despite the completion of I
ID work for which ! was employed,