New-York tribune., 1919-05-31
Citizens Union
Begins Police
System Expose
For Many Months Been Indi-
cations That Something
SIS Wrong With Depart
snent, Says ''Searchlight"

Mayer Hylan's only apparent concern
IN the stories of graft in the Police
Department has been to prevent citi.
zens from getting at the truth, accord
ing to an article entitled "What's the
Matter With the Police ~ in the cur.
rent issue OF "The Searchlght," organ
of the Citizens Union
For many months there. have been
'ndlcations that something vas wrong
with tho Police Department" the ar
t'elc reads. "Peopie began to wonder
whether it was showing, or was about
to show, one of its dangerous lapses.
spirit of unrest has permeated
the whole department. There has been
an unmistakable falling off in the
morale of the force. The fine organ
lzation which Commissioner Arthur
Woods and his able deputies built up
appeared TO be about to collapse. There
were designations, retirements, demo-
tons of some of the men who had
proved their efficiency in the most try
ing days the city had ever known.
storles of petty graft began to be cur
rent Alarming rumors spread.
The Mayors Only Concern
yet apparently the only concern
Of the Mayor has been to prevent cit
1zens from getting the truth. to scare
them away from all attempts to in
quire into whether some Of the facts
stated were true or false Instead of
his prchting by the criticism he (the
Mayor has either ignored il alto
gether or has gone out of his way to
lind an opportunity to write COM
mandatory letters to the Commission
or, in which he has characterized the
interest OF citizens as meddlesome in
reference, or satisfied himself by
calling names"
some or the newspaper accounts of
the troubles in the Police Department.
such as the demotion of Honest Dan"
Costigan and the abolition of the Vice
squad, and the 90 per cent increase
III the number Of burglaries, are
touched upon by the writer.
After pointing out the fact that the
police situation has been the rock ON
which more city administrations have
peen wrecked in the last half century
tnail any other, the writer saws:
"Ihe trouble has never been with
the rank and file of the police. The
ac'ua' personnel has varied little in
character from year to year. 1t has
IN ene main been made up of as fine
'oe OIL staiwart, fearless, honest men
as ever served in like capacity in anv
c'ty IN THIS or any other country. Tba
iaolt, when there has been one. has
not peen With the men, but with tho
system. And the system it must be
remembered, has special meaniny
"hefe the police are concerned.
Then New Commissioners
hen the city awakcns. Mavhe +h.
new Commissioner: nerhans ~.
lie later, new Mayor. For dnwn w..
;~. u more tnan one municipal admin
'As'o" s.' mas gone into history as a
i''iore. Yet under new control The
same iorcc quickly finds itself. its
mo'aie is restored and it is again made
e'ear That the trouble is not with the
1orcc' but with the SYSTEM"
ine article promises that shortly
tnere VIII be an exhaustive review ~
'he police situation snce Mayor Hvlan
assumed control, "bcginning with In.
snor' career OF Commissioner Bugher
ana covering the regime of his sue.
cessor, Richard E. Enright, member
o' me uniformed force who had lone
Deen the leader Of small coterie in
tne department and had been cbieav
Hnown AZ an officer Of the police lien.
'ehanfs organization" Continuing. Il
nays: -
~ wili then be necessary to tell tn.
"noie story OF the poiici under En-
1xnt' and mat story viii not De with.
eus interest" "''''