Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-12-04
GE~
An MESS.

Win inc pullCS department. Inc gen
eral consensus Of opinion is that It is
rotten. 1t seems TO be impossible for
the public TO learn exactly what :he
conditions are. but there is enough
being noised about to convince the
people tina the situation is very bad.
indeed.
Now, If there Is IN department of
lhe city government where there
must be order and discipline it is the
police department. If there is any
department of tho city government in
which the people should have conf
dence, it is the police department.
The people have shown 4 disposi-
tion to be more than fair with the
police. Never, to our knowledge, has
a request made by the police been
refused when put up to the voters.
They have met the policemen more
4han half way on every issue. All
that is asked in return is faithful
S%ervice.
Perth Amboy has some mighty
good men on the police force; it also
has some who are not so good. If
some of the reports that are now go
ing about the city are true, or any
whore neal true. there are some men
serving as policemen who are a dis
grace to the uniform and whose pres
ence on the force ought not to be
tolerated.
or course, many of these rumors
may not be true, but. Judging from all
accounts, there is good ground for
suspicion and nothing short Of a
thorough Investigation, open and
above board. will satisfy.
If it is true that certain members
of the police force are frequenters of
gambling "joints' in this city, the
facts ought TO DO known. Either the
guilty men should be removed from
the force and punished or else the
odium which now casts such a re-
Election on the police department
ought to be removed by the estab-
lishment of the falsity of the report.
II any member OF the police force
is, himself, engaged In running a lot
terry or gambling game on the side, he
ought to be exposed. If there Is no
member nus engaged tho truth
should be established beyond perad-
venture.
There are all kinds of rumors of
policemen protecting certain dis
graceful characters; OF even condon-
ang certain henious crimes under their
very eyes. For the sake Of the re-
spectacle men on tho police force. the
guilty and unht should be weeded out
and dismissed.
We are not unmindful Of the fact
that the gossip monger is ever ready
TO spread tales and start something
that is likely TO breed scandal Be
cause we have been mindful of this
we have refused to credit many of
the reports that have been brought to
us. Many of the stories we ave
heard have. to us, seemed impossible.
But the situation has now reached
o. stage where some notice must be
taken of 1t. To the outsider looking
on, 1t would seem as If the whole po-
lice force Is demoralized. Petty jeal-
ousies, personal hatred and malice
seem to reign supreme. Charges and
counter charges are made. Matters
re hushed up and the whitewash ap-
Piled so lavishly that the public is
about ready to believe anything.
The situation seems to be entirely
out of the hands of the chief of po-
lice. Either he has no idea of what
Is actually going IN or else he is pow
Arless to bring. order out Of chaos.
No doubt the constant friction be-
kween the mayor and the police COM
mittee of the Boar of Aldermen, dur
ing the past year. as to who is the
responsible hea of the police de-
partment has had much to do with
the present demorallzed condition.
Back of 1t all there is politics of the
most narrow and partisan kind.
The latest development In the po-
lice department whereby complaint
has been made against a rounds
man by other members of the force
ought to bring matters to a head. ii
seems to be necessary In every police
department to employ policemen to
watch other policemen. That is the
unpleasant duty of a roundsman. He
Is supposed to go round seeing that
the ordinary patrolmen are covering
their beats properly. 1t is the easiest
thing in the world for a man doing
such duty to win the enmity of his
fellow-members. If he does his duty
without fear or favor, as he is sup
posed to do. he will make trouble for
some patrolmen and then those who
have been caught try to get square"
We are not in the least familiar