New-York tribune., 1914-12-24

though the commissioners would not
believe II.
81 know that the Commissioner does
not trust the high officers IN the de-
partment," said Mr.. Dooley. "He al
ways looks on them with suspicion. A
general Of a large army who cant trust
his officers won't win many battles. No
\ inspector or other police ofhclal ever
went into the grating business unless
he had some encouragement from some
one close 20 the Commissioner himself.
! There never would have been the three
I little corrupt inspectors or Becker
in the death house If we had had such
strong and vigorous commissioners as
/ General Green or William McAdoo. The
police never would have dared 20 into
the grating business under such men.
Rules Cripple Department.
"There are more than 700 rules in
/ the department, and these rules, in a
/ large degree, are responsible for the
/ gunmen and gangmen Of to-day. They
are confusing and prohibitive 70 an
| ordinary policeman who is trying 20
| 90 his duty. Orders various commits
soners have issued have gone long
way toward demoralizing the force.
All that is needed is one order from
the Commissioner 20 enforce the law
Three words would enforce the law.
/ The policemen don't need 20 be told
how 20 do il; they know how. They
only need 10 be told 10 do it,
"lf the Commissioner took the right
action there would be in less than two
weeks no Rangmen or gunmen. FOR
seven years police captains have been
nothing but messenger boys. They fol-
low instructions and run errands for
the coterie at Headquarters They are
tied up with rules and orders so that
they don't dare deal with crime in their
own precincts in the proper way. There
is no unit in the police precinct IN
dealing with crime. The citizen has
no redress there for burglaries or other
crimes. Everything has 70 90 TO Head
quarters, and by the time the red tape
IS unwound the criminals have made q
pretty good getaway"
The ex-inspector explained that
General Order TO-" issued by Commits
sioner Baker under the Gaynor regime,
/ forbiddng policemen TO handle prls-
oners roughly" had made moral COW
ards of 90 per cent of the force. Any
unrcecinded, had a pretty good chance
Of making a complaint of assault
against a policeman and getting away
with it, he said, the policeman losing
his job or being severely reprimanded
or penslized.
Attacks Excise System.
The former inspector declared that
the rule foroidding policemen going
into the back rooms Of saloons TO OBJ
tain evidence Of liquor law violations
kept the dives open.
Don't wonder" he said, that some
Of the back rooms, which are the
dirtiest dives in the city, are open all
night They are the places which
breed gangmen and gunner and all
kinds Of cromirals. The policeman does
not dare close them up The rules forbid
him TO even try it. | contend that the
divekeeper. and. indirectly, the Com
missioner who issues such orders, are
responsible for the increase Of gunmen
and gangmen."
The former inspector suggested that
the best remedy was TO call upon the
Legislature to create a Commission of
Public Safety" consisting of the FIVE
district attorneys i'm the counties in
New York City, and tc permit them,
by a majority vote, to select police
commissioner. He believed the right
kind of a commissioner would be Sc
cured in this way.
The meeting was largely attended.
Mrs. Barnet Baf, widow Of the mur-
dered poultry dealer, and her daughter,
sat on the platform. Municipal Judge
Leon Sanders presided, and among the
other speakers were Judge Louis d.
Gibbs, of The Bronx, who figured in a
bomb incident not long ago; Bainbrids se
Colby, Frank Moss. former Assistant
District Attorney; Rabbi NJ. H. Harris,
the Rev George r. Van de Water, the
Rev. J. +. Carson, of Brooklyn; tke
Rev S. Edward Young, of Brooklyn,
William Fellowes Morgan, president OF
the Young Mems Christian Association,
and others.
A resolution calling attention 70 the
recent Baf murder and the frequency
of murders done for pay and demand
ing that immediate and adequate ef-
forts be made 10 secure greater activ-
ity and efficiency of police management,
and an increase of the force, If neces-
sary, was adopted. The chairman was
authorized to appoint committee Of
five citizens "to plan such legislation
and action by the Legislature and Gov
ernor as may be necessary 70 rescue
the city from its present perilous and
humllatlng conditions