El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-05
The Police Of Europe; Expert Thinks
Them Above the Average In America

"IAT inability adequately TO con-
troll and utilize its police he's
been a chief evidence of that
failure Of municipal governments in
the United States which James Bryce
once criticised so severely, has long been
obvious.
The third of the series OF books s
sued by the Bureau OF Social Hygiene,
Of which John D. Rockefeller, il, is
the chairman, is Raymond b. Fosdicl' 5
European Police system This is a
careful, uOn-partisan study compiled
for the purpose Of presenting to the
American public, and particularly to
municipal officials. the organization.
administration, and the methods of
crime detection in use abroad.
The United States has been accus-
toned everywhere to police corruption
and to blackmail. The system" Amer
lean cities have allowed to grow 10
the people usually treated as an in
evitable phase of police activity, so
that frequent framing up of cases
against innocent men, such as is be-
leved by many to have taken place
in the Frank case, stirs not at all as
it should. Hence it is Of great value
to know authoritatively if this is due
TO shortcomings of Americans, or TO
difficulties inherent in the police prob
lem.
No Corruption Abroad.
Primarily, Mr.. FosdicIz reports that
any general corruption is absolutely
unknown abroad and this though cons
tables are everywhere paid much less
than with US Occasionally men go
wrong, as they do in any other group
the world over. On the Continent mem
bers of the Police des Moeurs, who
come into contact with unfor -lnate
women, are often under suspicion of
misusinE their official power. During
ten years thirty-twO members of the
II
receiving money from boOkmakers. or
being too Intimate with them. The
fall OF a high official. such as the
chief constable of Carlisle ENGLAND,
and the assistant to the police pres
ident in kieI Germany, is also to be
noted.
Puris Police Removed.
Tn P0ris, in 1913, nearly a dozen Of
ficials We're removed for manufacture
ing evidence, and there was a consider
able scandal among the highest off
Gals in Cologne in 1914. None the less
such happenings are sporadic. All the
rest of Mr.. FOsdick's observations lead
to the conclusion that the morale Of
the police is as excellent as that of any
other governmental bureau. In Lon
don, for instance, such a thing as graft
ing by policemen among prostitutes
is absolutely unknown. as is anything
apprOSimating our police associations
open or secret, which have had so bale
Iul an influence upon the force in New
York.
A Profession There
This is due not merely to the fact
that there is no such relationship Lee
tween politics and police as Americans
are everywhere familiar with In Eu-
rope, the professiOn-GnG it is a pro-
fession-offers Il career to a man of
talent. Particularly is this true in Ger
many. In Berlin. as everywhere else
on the Continent, the commissioned
officers do not rise from the ranks. but
are appointed from the same classes
in society from which are drawn tie
civilian officials of every kind.
in Berlin, for instance, they usually
transfer from the army and are reserve
officers Ga large number of them have
been killed and wounded since the war
began), or they are graduates in law
Of a university. They must at least
be graduates of a gymnasium For
each there is not only the possibility
OF rising to the headship of the force
or Of the police in some other city,
but of going stin higher in the public
service.
In Munich, particularly, the police