Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-22
NEW IONDON'S NEW POLICE CAPTAIN
iclt effers Decided Upon By Police Committee Another C .-rc May Be Made After Three Months Unless He s Rro-c5 Indispensable - County Commissioners Make Proper Move-Mayor Says More Revenue Should Come
 from Water and Sewer Department.

es either be withdrawn or proven. He emphatically declined to resign while under fire. It has since been held out that "a change in the head of the DO lice department was demanded by a representative of the federal govern
 ment who proclaimed that if this were not done, federal officers would step in and enforce the laws within a speci- fed zone, close the liquor saloons and see to it that 1ho hquor was received by soldiers or sailors in uniform.
 There is no doukt bu. vvtst. the gov ernrsnt has the full rights to insist on enforcing the liquor feature in a prescribed zone, and that if this is not done by the local police for fed eral officers to step in and to do the trick: But there is serious doubt whether any individual representative of the government in thfs particular line, can step in. with authority, and tell the representatives of the city who they. must have and must not have at the head of the police de- partrnent. The conditions in New London in this respect are not as bad as in some other places selected as pracfcal headquarters for large numbers of sailors and soldiers That the local police have not been inac- tics: is shown in the large number of hootleggers that have been arrested and prosecuted, and the active work of the police in this particular has not been confined to any particular zone
 When Thomas Jeffers becomes cap tain of the roiics and is fully author ized to act at discretion in regard to the enforcement of the liquor laws, it is safe to predict that there will be a big diminition of violations and that a soldier or q sailor in uniform 3. nip of that wSich intoxicates any where in the city, fo Tthere will be suspension Of the bootlegging business. Jeffers is n firm believer in that old keeping evorlastingly-at-it plan. Let the rney yDor, as chief of police issue or det.s for the enforcement, the stric4est enforcement of the liquor law or any other law, ana he will find JeterS on his job, and the other members of the force win be doing their bit and their best, to enforce the laws. There will me united effort and the end achieved attained. Simmered down to the real soup, all that is required in order that the police strictly enforce the laws, is tfte honest backing of the mayor and thA nrosecuting powers, and the eHm- i.>a tier, of politics in police affairs. The l1t,t% cs all ways is to leave it all to .Jefrcrv. He will do the rest As the would say editorially: we believe he is the right man in the right place. all reports to the contrary, notwith- standing
 
 The New London County eonmis- sioners have finally decided to do their bit and aid the local police and, the federal government -- in cleaning out the places from which much of the trouble emenated. The commission tions for renewal of license for three saloons that have been the main source of SsupplySto the bootiegging fraternity. This win help the situation some and make lighted the work of Captain Jefrers and his men. By cut ting off the supply source the busi- ness of the bootlegger is gone. and it is mainly by that route that the csm- paratively few men in the military service get swin of the forbidden booze. While all this, hue and cry is on, it ought to be considered that the men in uniform who sulk around low grade saloons to do business with bootieggers are comparatively few, ", but just enough to besmirch the men of the service who have respect for the uniform and all that it repre- sents. Hats off to the county com missioners.
 Mayor Ernest E. Rogers is surely a busy and business mayor and keeps posted on all matters that pertain to the munilipality. He has the very good habit of pointing out the way for improvement ~1n the management or departments whenever, to his mind, the circumstances require. His lat est effort along that line is directed against the water and sewer depart ment which he says has been in op- eration for thirty-one years and should show no profit or loss. He suggests methods of conduct of the department that would make. it possi- bie for the department to pay into the -..-S-+----7--9