The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-05
POLICE net OUT
FOR DOPE USERS
Hundreds of Arrests to the
Credit of New York
Sleuths.
CRIME BORNE in DRUGS
Records of Squad Assigned to Appre-
bend Fiiends Show Many
Strange Gases.

New York, April 4.-The police de-
partment is carrying on a vigorous
campaign against illegal traffic in
drugs Every day members of Spe-
cial Squad No. 3. in charge of Lieut..
Henry Scherb. which is known as
the Dope Squad, are busy in the five
boroughs. This squad devotes it's
time exclusively to rounding up il
legal drug traffickers and their vic
Tins. 1t has made hundreds of ar
rests, and through its efforts and
those of other squads at headquar-
tiers it has succeeded in checking
the growth of the drug habit. Last
year the police made 1850 arrests for
the sale and possession of drugs.
Every effort should be made"
missioner Woods says. TO bring
to the knowledge of the citizens the
evil which the spread of this drug
habit creates. not only in regard to
the health of the community. but also
in regard to crime. out of the 62J
persons arrested in 1914 by the drug
squad, 227 had criminal records. II
very often happens that so-called
gunner we hear about are nothing
more than drug fiends running amuck.
Throughout the entire police depart
ment every one is doing his best to
suppress the evil
Gunmen dope Fiends'
The department has found at n con-
servative estimate that between so
and 20 per cent. of the gunner and
thieves are dope fiends, and that
most of the desperate and brutal
crimes which have shocked the COM
munity are committed by drug -crazed
men. Three policemen were killed in
Brooklyn last year by weak, puny
men. who, had they not been crazed
by narcotics. would have run at the
sight of policeman.
After Commissioner Woods took Of
flee he found that the drug habit was
getting a dangerous grip on the city
He mapped out a campaign to fight
the evil. He organized the Dope
Squad for that purpose. and gave it
a rowing commission. He also or
dered the police inspectors men in
the various inspection districts to
help in the work of experimenting il
legal traffickers and their victims
Guy H. Scull, his secretary. look ed
after narcotic cases when Commits
sioner Woods was at the head of the
detective bureau during the Bingham
administration. In those days Mr.
Scull managed to do the work with
only two detectives to assist him. Be
cause or his past experience and
knowledge of the Illicit drug situa-
ton Commissioner Woods placed him
in charge of this work.
Heron Is Fn,oritc.
Heroin and cocaine are the most COM
monty peddled on the streets by Illicit
traffickers. The former drug. the DO
lice assert. is today the favorite dope
OF the drug fiend. Victims of the habit
tell the police that the effects from hcroin
are more lasting and satisfactory than
those from cocaine. Herein appeared on
the Illicit market about six years ago
1t was then believed by many physicians
10 he nonha bit forming drug. Until
the Boyland law went into effect in July.
1914, the possession of heroin was not II
penal Offense. 1t was easy to get, and
was sold freely.
After seller of narcotics Is arrested
his clients. the police assert must find
another seller in less than forty-eight
hours or they will suffer a complete
mental and physical collapse. Many of
these victims unable to get their favorite
dope have been picked up in a state of
collapse on the streets by the police
Very often when dope fiend is deprived
of his drug he goes voluntarily to a hos
pital rather than wait for the inevita Bile
collapse which he realizes will overtakc
him.
Aim at Trnffickers.
1t is the Illicit dealers sellers and dis
tr1buters OF the narcotics that the police
are particularly anxious to get. for if all
of these traffickers could be apprehended
II would go far towards stopping the
spread of the drug evil The traffiCkers
n N no hap
in rare cases. peddler of narcotics has
a certain section of the city in which he
works. Persons engaged in this Illicit
business make a profit of from 100 TO SEQ
per cent. The narcotics are sold in tiny
packages by the trade. These packages
are known as decks and retail for from
. cents to 81 or more.
Habitual drug users resort to cunning
methods to hide the drug from the pO-
lice. One day the police arrested a man
wearing a bandage over his eye. He en-
planned he had lost his sight. When the
bandage was removed the police found
several decks" of narcotics concealed
between Its folds. The police on I'M
screwng the tops of bed posts have
found drugs concealed in the hollows
They have found them in secret cabinets
and behind secret panels in old houses.
They have also found the narcotics in
toes Of stockings. strung out on the fam
lily wash line. between rubber heels I'M
derneath neckties. in false memorandum
books. in false cigarettes, and in imita-