Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-02
VETERAN POLICEMEN
BLAME SULzBERGER
FOR WAVE OF CRIMB
Porter Declared Fairest D;.
rector Department Ever
Had -Cour System
Breeds Defiant Criminals.

George D. Porter, whom they cali IL.
faIrest Director they ever knew. is ,,.s,
In blaming Judge Mayer sulzberssr !.
creating defiant criminals and obstrpo,,.
the Department OF Public Safety. aco,rS
Ing to several Of the older Philad.,nhi.
policemen. Criminals, certain that th.s
will hear the police assalled as un,r,A
worthy and unworthy Of credenos NJ
then escape under suspended sentAnc..
grow easily into believing that thev ~,
punishment proof, the police say.
Two men who have served aa noiI..
men under five different Dlrectors Z,
Public Safety declared today that pn.,~a
is not exaggerating when he sava M
Judge Sulzberger is the cause ~ N,
crime wave. Withal they are bs,ts.
pleased with their jobs under Direetor
Porter than they over were before.
You can't expect n crook 10 ,,.e
straight II he knows he'll get of llsh,5
said one man, a lieutenant who has bss,
in the department 30 years. ''Thev CO.
be pretty sure of two things: that a.
policeman who testifies against them Nil
be called liar, and that they win "a,
Off with suspended sentences or light pun,
ishment. The policeman is robbed Of M.
confidence. Knowing that he Ia rn,rs,
on the hottest grill when he testifies II.
is easily confused. Let him slip ones
and he will be laughed out of cotjrt
There is nothing even family like -.
operation. Hearing some cases you'd h.
lieVe the Judge was really glad the
prosecuting officer failed to score. Tbsv
seem delighted every time the departmsn,
Is unable to prove a conclusive conyIc.
tion. We don't want any man sent Inn
who doesn't deserve 1t. But when wa "a
Into court with the knowledge that an
the courts sympathies are with the
prisoner and that we are cordially hated
there is nothing as bad for the polIcs
department"
Director Porter 10 the first fair Dl-
rector that I've ever known" he con-
tinued. Policemen led n dogs life when
the Organization ruled the force. You
couldn't call your soul your own. About
the worst part of II was the way we
had TO ask permission before we could
move. Ward leaders used to order IA
Into weak divisions to bolster them up
and get out good vote for the Organ-l
ization. 1 had house about two mllss
from my district, and for five years I
had to rent t and live in street near
the station house because the ward boss
said he wanted me to.
WidL WOulu happen IL you moved.
anyway? Why you'd get a summons 10
appear before the trial board. Then.
you'd be fred. 1t was case of being
got If you didn't obey. that's ALL None
Of that stuff now, though. II we want
to move we file our new address with
the department, and that's all there lie
to it. Then we had to come across with
per cent. of our salaries for the .eles-
tion every year. If they had two elec.
tons it was per cent The Ward Com
mitteemen came around and collected
Il. If you didn't give UP you had to face
he trial board, 1 worked under Director
Reitler, Director English and McKenty,
Smith, Ritter, Clay and Potter. 1 tell y6u
Porter is the best one we ever had ThS
whole force is for him. He's on the
square. You can tell ward leader what
10 do now. They haven't anything on us
my more"