Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-12
.DANBAUM CASE
MAY Be DRAGGED
BEFORE COURTS
City Will Be Exposed to DAM
age Suit If Dismissal Is
Illegal; Ringer to
''Carry On"

Attorney Ben Baker was asked
yesterday whether he is going to
appeal the Ncase of Detective Ben
Danbaum to the courts.
Il may appeal it and l may not"
he said. Il may take other action.
First, l must try to decide what
sort of a proceeding was that wild
orgy of the city council yesterday.
Il must try to find out whether
you could call that a case or mere
kangaroo performance.
AT present it looks more like
kangaroo performance to me.
The Danbaum case is not closed
yet"
City Open to Damaged
Did the city council lay the city
open to damage suit in dismissing
Detective Ben Danbaum from the
police force2 This is a question
that is worrying some members OF
the council.
Commissioners FOWL, IRE and
Butler in interviews said yesterday
they did not believe the action of
council was legal. Council, by vote
of 4'to 3 Monday, decided not to dis
miss Danbaum because of the
charge of neglect of duty" in
which he had been found guilty by
vote of 4 to 3. Then council inn
mediately voted, 4 to 3, to dismiss
him FOR the good of the service"
Commissioners say this can't be
done without preferring charges
specifically.
Commissioner Ringer said at was
perfectly all right. We couldn't go
back and go over all that evidence
again"
Mr., Ringer was asked whether he
is going to bring charges against
Detectives Van Deusen, Anderson
and Rose, whose testimony at the
Danbaum trial showed that they
didn't report to the captain OF de-
tectives when they were on the trail
of a criminal, but merely told each
other.
No Quit in Ringer.
81 am going right ahead and clean
up the police department" said Mr..
Ringer. 1--WE are going to do the
job and I am going to stay on the
job, no matter what Mr.. Zimman
or others may think or say"
Replying to rumor about the city
hall that Police Commissioner Ring
err would resign his position, the
commissioner said: 81 can find abso-
lutely no foundation for the rumor.
I'm going to stick to the job until
the last dog is dead. There's no quit
in me-"
Chief of Police Ebefstein was in
censed because of statement in
morning paper to the effect that "a
dozen patrolmen were asked if they
would arrest Slack and Rose (charg-
ed with burglary if they were given
the opportunity, but they said, No,
because it would probably mean
being called on the carpet to all
swer questions about shake-downs
or collision
IF there are a dozen patrolmen
who think that or one patrolman, ]
want their Names" said the chief,
Are you going to discharge any
more officers from the force? the
chief was asked.
wait" was his only answer
Mayor Smith said: Conditions
in the police department are going
to get better from now on. If there
are any other abcesses in the police
body we are going to cut them out.
Whether this is the beginning or
the ending depends on the men of
the force. They can do their duty
and remain. They can neglect their
duty and go"
Commissioner Zimman, whose de-
mand for a complete reorganization
of the police department came like
bomb dropped i'll the city council
at the Danbaum hearing Monday,
was in Lincoln yesterday on legis-
lative business.