Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-28
RINGER IN tilt
WITH MEMBERS
OF CITY COUNCIL
Head Of Police Department
Defeated in Effort to
Obtain Adoption Of
"Merit System"

Another discussion of the police
department salary ordinance, by the
city council. committee of the whole
yesterday, brought out an ami
mated exchange of opinion, during
which Commissioner of Police Ring
er charged other members of the
city council with interfering with
the affairs OF the police department
Supported only by Commissioner
FOWL, Mr.. Ringer was defeated lin
his efforts to obtain adoption OF
his merit system"
The council majority, including
Mayor Smith, stood for the seniori-
ty system OF promotion Nand they
succeeded in putting their ordinance
through. Ringer stood for promo
ton and demotion on a seniority
system subject to arbitrary action
by the chief with confirmation by
city council.
Upholds Police Chief.
1--WE have elected chief of po-
lice who knows more about oper-
ating a police department than l
do, or even more than Commissions
er Zimman," began Mr.. Ringer.
THE present chief has been running
the police department., notwith-
standing reports to the contrary,
and we owe it to him to allow him
to run the police department.
Are you going to interfere with
the internal affairs of my depart
ment? We have an expert who has
been, and is, running the police de-
partment, and l have not interfered
with him. When Mr.. Eberstein
was elected as chief he was told
that he would be allowed to run
the department. and would be held
responsible for its administration.
The fitness of the men and the
needs of the service should be con-
sidered in making promotions"
Mayor Smith replied: II don't
want Mr.. Ringer to think that we
are interfering with his department
/ don't want him to think that we
are trying to butt in. / believe
that the police department is deliv-
ering the goods. / hold that Mr.
Ringers proposed merit system is
a political system and not a merit
system. Under that plan, a man
could be rewarded for political &C
tivity. A designing politician would
be able to build up the finest kind
of machine you ever saw. | don't
say that Mr.. Ringer would do it,
but he is not going to live forever.
The theory is that if you are given
the arbitrary power, you will build
up machine. A patrolman should
be given to understand that if he is
competent he is in line for promo
ton"
Mayor Addresses Ringer.
Addressing Mr.. Ringer more di-
rectly, the mayor added:
II am not going to make it pos
sible for you or youy successor to
jump a private citizen oyer the men
who have Served faithfully in the
police department"
Commissioner FOWL defended Mr..
Ringer by stating that it would be
political suicide for a commissioner
of police to take an incompetent
outsider and place him ahead of
members of the police department"
The final vote of the committee
means that seniority observance will
prevail in the police department.
The following new scale of pay
was approved:
Patrolmen, SIPS; detectives, $14O;
acknowledgements, $3.50; sergeauts
of police, $3.50; captains and chief of
detectives, $l75; lieutenants, $l60;
assistant chief of police, 5000.
The proposed new position of in
speetor of police also was approved.
1t is probably that the increased
pay will be effective on April /, al
though that has not been de-
termined.