The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-14
PUBLIC INDIGNANT
OVER LAX ENFORCEMENT
Possible That Great Mass Meeting
May BE Called To Consider
Police situation.
DRUNKENNESS ON INCREASE
While Campaign To Discredit success
full Workers In Enforcing LII"
Goes Merrily On-Ncw Pan RUS
Green Men, on Job.

test against the recent apparent re
taxation in law enforcement III i.ien
inond unless some measure is lah1i
that will make impossible, or great's
lessen, the present fragrant Vloia,iohS
of the law. Amazement AT the pres
ent conditions is expressed on an
sides. and with it is developing de-
termination that the exceleht en-
forcement of the law recently main
tanned shall be re-established.
IL is limited that if the present
1axitv is allowed to continue, popular
sentiment will crystalline so strongly
in opposition, that mass meeting
OF large proportions VIII be called,
and the parties in the city govern
ment responsible will be called to ac-
count
Chief Werner. it is declared. is
willing and anxious to enforce strict
1y the Mapp law and the regulations
growing out OF the findings of the
vice commission of some time ago.
He is, however. Handicapped in the
performance OF his duties, and, how
ever earnest his desire for strict
and proper law enforcement may be.
his hands are fettered. and his opera
tions restricted. Under him he has
men ready TO carry out the instruc-
tons Of their chief to clear the city
OF vioIators. but however great their
loyalty. their usefulness is curtailed-
Especially coming In for denuncia-
ton Is the effort on tho part OF n GER
tain element TO discredit the activities
of the plain clothes squad which.
established by Major Werner. has
done creditahle work in apprehend-
ing criminals. 1t Is said that there
are no more vigtiant officers TO be
found than Sweet and Bertucci. and
they have worked to tho satisfaction
Of Major Werner. and the commits
sioner OF prohibition, = Sidney Peters
other plain clothes officers have also
done good work, and their value in
enforcing the law has been shown by
the large number of arrests
That the officers have been guilty
NJ mistaken Identity or insulting
citizens by their activities will hardly
find support. when the evttenCc i@
considered The men have been
WORKING since the establishment of
prohibition. and TO some extent ever
since the vice commission findings
started a Strtcter watch for disorderly
persons They have made numerous
arrests. and their work was not mis-
directed. as a mum Der OF convictions
have resulted
Three mistakes In nearly Ave
months is eloquent proof OF tie care
fnl aud wisely directed activities Of
the PLAIN clothes men. Two OF these
asses were regarding young women.
and the other was that OF a man
suspected OF transporting ardent
spirits Three cases OF mistaken
identity and insulting" activities are
the bases for the complaint that II is
alleged has arisen against the plain
clothes mon.
In one OF the cases OF the young
ladies' the lady being employed by
the Life Insurance Company OF Eir-
sinia, the officers saw the young wo-
IMAM OF a street car. and Tnistaklng
her for young woman wanted for
skipping" a hoard bill. opened a con-
Nersation. She became indignant at
the action of the officer. and told him
lie had made a mistake but he felt
sure OF his move. and told the young
lady she was under arrest. Just at
that moment an officer OF the COM
pany with which she was employed
entered the car, and the affair was
settled. No formal complaint was
flied with the mayor, because OF the
fact that the family OF the young lady
aid not wish to cause any notoriety.
Mayor Ainslie took the matter up
with the chief OF police.
In the case OF the alleged Insult"
caused by searching baggage TINS xe-
Seiopeu ABOUT TWO weeks ago WneN
4. f, Stanton. OF kensington avenue.
reached Richmond over the Rich
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad carrying a heavy grip. Of
fcers. on seeing the man leave the
station, were suspicious on account OF
tire apparent weight of the grip. and
after Mr.. Stanton had boarded the
car, the police who followed asked
him to return TO the station. He did
ov.1 a. be rSv
opened II was found that II contained
only tools. Offtcers then refunded
him his car fare and he went on TO
his home.
II was said that Mr.. stanton regard
ed the affair as insulting. but he did not
lodge complaint with either the chief
tf police or Mayor Ainslie After the
matter had. been aired through the
newspapers. the mayor requested Mr.
stanton to visit him at his office in
order that the circumstances might be
gone into. Up TO this time Mr. stanton
had not thought the matter OF sutti-
cient Importance to bring IL to tho
attention OF the authorities and even
after he had been invited to appear, he
would not make a complaint.
This. it would appear. is the extent
OF the mistakes of the plain clothes
men. Yet It Is said alleged indigna-
non mas CAUSED the squad 10 ne aDot-
ished. and the apprehension of crimi-
nails has fallen off ominousiy. Viola
tors of the law know that the bars are
down" and this will have the effect OF
uuickeninG vice and inviting a flow of
Illegal liquor into the city.
II is understood that Major Werner
s Is continuing his plain clothes squad
although he is changing the personnel
az the squad frequently. This II Is de-
clared will prove ineffective in the APP
, ,,rehension OF criminals. because the
,nen will be new to their duties. awk-
ward In it's performance, and utterly
unable to carry on the excellent work
with the facility and good results that
Rave marked the work of the officers
especially appointed heretofore
It is declared that the only effective
manner in which to carry out strict
law enforcement Is to have a regularly
appointed plain clothes squad, made
rp OF men adapted to the work. Since
The prohibition law became operative
r.any arrests have been made. showing
conclusively the value Of the squad
since the squads have been called
on the trail of the law violators. there
have been few, IL any. arrests for trans-
,,,rting liquor and other transgressiors
~ the Mapp law. while the number Of
a,,rLs have Increased, A great amount