The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-06-04
Last Thing a City Should
Want Is a Commissioner
Popular With Crooks

order of the former is that of bail
whctl er the police arc compelled to hon
of tho release forms used by the police
jushces anywhere they may happen 70
me on amy day or az any hour Of the
niehe
Commissioner Couzens could not par
tcuay { advised 10y legal counsel for
the department., refuse to honor the re-
lease order of any police justice, without
taking The position that the jurisdiction
of the justice is confined TO The walls OF
his court room.
But the commissioner case becomes
rattle shaky AT this point by reason ri
the fact that he singled out ereeases
issued by Justice Sellers, ordering his
suborc mates not TO recognize them bat
TO continue to honor the orders ot the
other two police justices.
If the police justice catch-him-Whore-
and-vhen-you-can release IS Illegal as
every decent citizen of Detroit has rea-
son to hope it to be. 1t follows naturally,
that ii would be illegal in Commissioner
Couzens to honor it from two justices
while refusing to honor it from third
Presumably. the police justice release
is legal and presumably the police COM
missioner is in contempt of cault for
having failed to honor a release signed
by Justice Sellers.
At any rate. the commissioner IS In
contempt at this writing, because he has
been duly found to be in contempt
And quite naturally there has to be
somebody in authority over police com
missioner, whose duties are defined.
When he has made an arrest and de-
livercn his prisoner over to court, ne
has met his full responsibility and his
obligation to everybody ends there
The court Immediately becomes re
sponsible from that point, and therein
lies tie justification claimed for the re-
leases
Although they may be signed in blank
as has been the case. the responsibility
rests with the justice, who takes the
ground that he, alone. need be satisfied.
1t looks to be plainly the case that
Police Commissioner Couzens has tres
passed somewhat upon the powers of the
police court, or of one particular justice
court.
He is left to plead that the end JUS
tifes the means and no small part Of the
populace will agree with him, but il hap
pens, rather unfortunately for this the
DRY, that the sole Judge is the court of
fetal aggrieved, who refuses to accept
the theory or to indorse the means.
What the commissioner is up against
is the LAW.
The law is very flexible thing for
those who break it.
II can be extended. widened or warped
to overlook a multitude Of sins and free
a multitude Of sinners but if police of
fetal seeking to do his duty happens to
transgress an iota, that becomes "a dir
ferent matter.
Commissioner Couzens is endeayoring
to clean up Detroit
He has made the saloons obey the laws
to letter and that is something his pre-
decessor never did, principally because he
didn't want to do it.
coLlcns has driven the gamblers out
Of town.
IL IS cleaning up the red light dis
tricis and IS endcayofing to rid the
streets Of he women driven out of the
disorGerly houses
He is having anything but an easy ob
of it. principally because he IS hampered
in the very sources that ought To bee 81,
ing him cooperation
There was a whole lot of joy for cel-
tain Of our citizens when 1t was learned
Police Commissioner Couzens had been
fined for contempt and sent TO jail when
he refused to pay the fine.
The commissioner may accept the az
isfaction Of those whom the new atis-
fed As the strongest kind Of testi-
nlonlai
TIE last thing ans city ought Jopan
is police comni ssioncr nho popse
with crooks
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The Food Robbers Fear