New-York tribune., 1917-07-15

day for just what he was worth and
nothing more" he said. "He was a.
ways considered rat by the detec-
tives with whom he did business, but
he was invaluable in keeping tabs on
criminals.
There was never a chance of
stool getting away with anything. II
he turned a trick he ran the same
chances as those on whom he 'squealed.'
In many cases had stool watching
STOOL so that there was no chance
of him getting away with anything"
Commissioner Woods has always
trained his detectives to respect at all
hazards the rights Of suspect. To
this detectives lay much of the respon-
sibility for the bureaus present condi-
tion. In the old days a suspect was
hustled before a magistrate and held
under the "forty-eight law" permitting
the detention of prisoners without bail
pending a police investigation, and, il
by chance the detective made mistake,
he stood ready to take his medicine,
which usually took the form of a veI-
dict for damages for false arrest, which
the detective had to pay.
AS a striking illustration of this con-
dition, the police refer TO the testimony
of Detective Sergeant Frank McGee be-
fore Commissioner Wallstein. McGee,
by training a good detective, had an
idea that the Cocchi cellar held the So
luton of the Cruger mystery. To fol-
low his idea, it would be necessary to
break into lockers and tear up the
cement cellar flooring. McGee didn't
do either. Asked for a reason by Com
missioner Wallstein, he said that he
feared a civil suit if he was wrong, and
because he had been instructed TO pro-
tect at all times the personal and prop
erty rights of citizens.
Under Inspector McCafferty detec-
tives would have entered the shop after
learning that the missing girl had been
last accounted for there, and ripped up
every suspicious case and locker in the
place. the police declare. In the Cruger
case they would have been acclaimed as
brilliant detectives. II nothing was
found they would have faced a civil
suit, hoping that they could convince
the judge or jury that the running of
the property was the result of an hon
est effort to solve what appeared to
them to be crime.
At the conclusion of It's investigation
The Tribune has found that the police
are in favor of the establishing of a
group OF trained detectives at head
quarters.
A return TO the precinct unit system
is also advocated by those who dis
cussed the matter. II is pointed out
that with such a system the public
would be benefited by always having a
detective on hand and the police York
would be more efficient through CO.
operation of the bureau men and pa
trolmen.
Its advocates say that under the pre-
cinct unit system patrolmen, after
tour of duty fall into the habit of dis
cussing with detectives little occur
rences Of the tour. The value Of this
they say, was emphasized at the Wall
stein investigation when il was brought
out that a patrolman knew Cocchi had
insulted woman customer a few DAYS
before the Cruger girls disappearance,
but never thought Of mentioning the
fact 10 the detectives.
Six men can cover precinct, il is
said, and the force could easily be
raised by cutting down the number OF
plainclothes men on the inspectors
STATS. With about two hundred trained
men Mt headqurters, the precinct detec-
tives would do efficient work, II the