Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-29
kUGEL STANDS
PAT FOR SUTTON
IN POLICE ROW
Head Of Department, in For
NAL Statement, Declares Dis
honest Men on Force Should
Not DiScredit Faithful.

Police Commissioner Al c. Kugel
in formal statement issued Monday
declares that he wants the fullest in
vestigation into the workings and per-
sonnel OF the Omaha police depart
ment.
These things are made clear by the
commissioners statement:
Kugel's suspicious that all was not
we'll in the department were aroused
early in April.
Kugel caused Detectives Sutton and
Anderson to work out of his Office
and report direct to him.
Kugel gave Sutton leave Of absence
and sent him to Chadron. Develop
ments of sensational character fol-
lowed and Chief of Detectives Steve
Maloney and Sutton are under bond
to appear for trial at Chadron Thurs
day.
Kugel says the police department as
whole is not corrupt. If there be
dishonest men in the department
their conduct should not cast suspi-
cion upon honest. faithful members.
The commissioners statement fol-
lows:
His Suspicious Aroused.
"On returning after recovery from
my recent illness l am not in as
good a position to make statement
of things that have tranSpired dur
ing the last few weeks as if l had
been on the job during that time.
Late in March Of this year I
caught faint rumblings of things that
aroused my suspicion in connection
with the workings of the police de-
partment, or rather OF certain officers
of the department.
ri concluded to direct a personal
investigation and to that end had
Officers Sutton and Anderson work
directly out of my Office and make
their reports to me.
"It was under this arrangement that
Officer Sutton was given leave of ab-
sence and it was under this leave of
absence that he made the trip to
Chadron, which has been so much
talked of in the papers recently.
During the first week of April |
begun to feel i'll and April II DR.. Gil
more pronounced my case typhoid
fever and ordered me to bed. He al
lowed me to see no one for several
weeks. This came at juncture in the
work of the department which was OF
vital importance.
From April II until this morning
/ was unable to be at my Office or ex-
excise personal direction of the po-
lice department. During that time, at
my request, Commissioner Jardine
took over the management and was
given charge.
Let Truth Be Known.
Il have learned though the columns
of the daily papers that things have
been transpiring rapidly during the
last few weeks and names of various
persons are being mentioned. So far
as the police department or, any MEM
Der of it is concerned | stand for
the fullest measure of investigation.
Let the truth be known. With dis
putes between persons not members
of the department, | am not con-
cerned and shall not concern myself.
THE police department as a whole
is not corrupt. We have officers and
men in that department who perform
their daily duties with the utmost Fl.
deity, and if there be some in the
department whose conduct has not
been what it should, or who have in
terested themselves in things they
should have suppressed, such action
should not cast suspicion upon the
honest, faithful members of the de-
partment
Now that court proceedings have
been started | shall welcome the full
est investigation of any and all per-
sons connected with the police de-
partment. When the facts have been
established, whether it may meet with
the approval of all or the disapproval
of some, | feel that such determina-
tion should be accepted as conclusive
for the purpose of official action.
in the meantime | shall, as rapidly
as | can get matters in hand, make
recommendations to the city council
favoring such changes as in my judg-
ment should be made before the legal
battle in the courts has reached its
final conclusion, because of the slow
ness with which such proceedings
progress"