El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-07-23

~OFVIECE a police force that public sentiment con-
dones commission Of crimes and there will be few
~ arrests and fewer prosecutions.
Convince police force that arrest Is apt to cost
an officer his Job and viii become notably fewer
Make It certain In the minds OF police force that no
conviction be hoped for unless the evidence Is aosou
and many offences viii 90 UNPUBLISHED.
short, If police force gets the idea that It IS
backed by the public, that activity only make
trouble personally for the individual officers concerned
the officers VIII be active Nothing so discouIagng
to an able police chief eager down every bit Of law
lessness and the public to find himself alone IN
the fight opposed by vicious element able and quick 70
hire attorneys and unsupported by passive citizenship
That same Encouragement is experienced BY the chiefs
subOrdnaes and demoraes every man on the force from
FL Paso has some Of that sort of thing but chief
Zabrse and his men, with the assistance Of the municipal
civil service commission, undoubtedly doing their best
under difficult conditions.
It looks as though there too great tendency
the part Of arrested persons to file charges against
aesting Officers hoping that the police commission will
be led punish officers for the performance Of their duty
satisfying the individuals desire for revenge Every
who brings a trumped up charge against police
officer ought to be made to pay for his sPework when
the charge IS proved false.
This does not mean that police officers should have
unlimited power TO treat citizens any way they please
OF TO arrest without sufficient evidence to justify
able belief IN the guilt of the person arrested It does not
that officers should be free TO abuse verbally or mis-
treat physically any persons IN their custody It does not
that third degree methods should be tolerated that
persecution IN any form should be allowed It sometimes
happens that offensive type or becomes police
officer He IS loud mouthed and truculent He is bully
ing and abusive He acquires what he conceves to
be the proper police detective attitude Of mind: belief
that every citizen with whom he in contact Is
nalefactor only he "can get something him" His
speciality is arresng apparently fendess young fellows
of small means saying eve viii hold to see what we
get you"
This type Of officer Is most often found in the end
only have been guilty of mstTeatment Of arrested
persons but also to have been IN COLLISION with gamblers
dive keepers creatures Of the underworld whom he is
able to shake down. in return for promises Of protection
IN their Illicit traffic against police interference 1t Is he
contemplated and thus illustrates the work Of his fellow
officers who find nothing ncrnating when the raid IS
made.
That kind Of officer is found everywhere. Somehow
his type seems have special affinity for police work
Almost always his public official ends when
charges filed against him proved In his and in
every case where officers Of the law guilty Of mscon
duct charges ought to be filed and punishment ought to
follow.
On the other hand police chiefs and their subordnates
properly performing their duties with due regard to the
and consideration for the public ought to be safe
guarded against being hassed by Inscriptions individuals
Officers many times hesitate to make arrests when they
feel the circumstances fully justify action, because they
the chance that they may not be able to produce
elusive evidence and may themselves be overwhelmed in
trouble piled On them by lawyers whom seasoned evader
Of the law quick to
The police department Of FL Paso has several difficult