New-York tribune., 1919-03-17
Veteran Policemen Show
How Enright System Has
Put Ban on Efficiency
Merit Idea in Discard
Benevolent Associations the
Real Centres of Power
Under Present Regime

Two police officials, one an "Enright
man" and one "Woods man" as
serted yesterday the morale of the
New York Police Department had been
shattered by the "fnachine controlled"
administration Of Richard e. Enrieht.
AS result, they said policemen
throughout the city worried not bit
ever the sweeping epidemic Of crime.
One OF tbs officials making these
statements Was ihdueted and advanced
TO his present rank while the "systsm"
held sway In the Poliee Department,
lie always has been stanch advocate
of the plan TO promote uniformed
policeman to the head Of the depart
ment. The other Is q policeman of
the alert, progressive type who gained
promotion in the regime of Arthur
Woods as Police Commissioner
Both officials were careful to en-
phasize that by "machine- controlled"
administration they did got mean the
department. was being run by po-
litical organization such as Tammany
Hall. They meant, they said, control
of the administration was invested in
the various police benevolent organiza-
tions, with the Police Lieutenants' AS
sociation, of which Enright was the
head for years, as the dominating fac
tor
Crime Estimates Differ
Commissioner Enright and Deputy
Commissioner Lahey, who supervises
the work of the Detective Bureau, re-
peatedly have assured the public there
was no crime wave, in direct contra
diction of Inspector John ]. Cray,
chief" of the bureau. who at the time
of the East Brooklyn Savings Bank hold
up, in which two employees were killed,
said there was heavy increase in vio-
lent crimes.
Shown a list of the robberies,
burglaries, hold-ups and murders
which The Tribune printed yesterday.
the two officials interviewed en-
phatically agreed with Inspector Cray
Herewith is given concretely the
causes these officials pointed out for
apparent inability Of the police to cope
with the situation:
!. knowledge by policemen that the
manning a success is by being actively
connected with one Of the police be-
nevolent organizations. Once a MEM
ber, the policeman, regardless of rank.
feels he will be taken care Of and
does as little work as possible. The
"outsider" plugs along to hold his Job
and knows good work will avail him
nothing.
Incentive to Work Attacked
2. The attempt of the administration
to get through the Legislature a bill
making permanent the rank of first
grade detective sergeant. A commits
sioner now has the power to reduce to
the rank of patrolman any first grade
detective. Because it carries an an
nual increase Of about $500, this rank
has always been the goal of patrol
men and second grade detectives, and
it was usual to reward clever police
work with promotion to that rank.
Only 150 first grade detectives are
permitted by law, and to make the
rank permanent, the officials suggest
ed, would be to remove the incentive
for good work.
3. The revival Of the "shoo-fy" sys-
tenn, which to the police indicates a
lack of trust in them by the admins
tration.
a. Reduction in the number of pa
trolmen on duty after midnight, par
ticularly in BROOKLYN precincts, where
some Of the most vicious crimes have
been committed.
5. Stripping Inspector Cray of al
most all his powers and investing them
in Deputy Commissioner Lahey, who
is on leave of absence from the uni
formed force, where he ranks as cap
tain. Cray has had detective expert
ence covering twenty years and Lahey
virtually none. Cray has, according to
the statements, not even the power
to select the men who will work under
him, and in many cases has no knowl-
edge of the cases the men are work
Ing on, the detectives reporting direct
ly to Lahey's office to sergeant.
Appointees "Boss" Superiors
6. Assignment as commanders Of de-
tective districts, first gr-ie men who
are in reality only patrolmen and SUBJ
ject to reduction to that rank at the
will of the Commissioner These men
command districts in which there are
assigned to detective work sergeants
and lieutenants, who under ordinary
circumstances outrank their "boss."
Z. DISARMAMENT of squads of crime
experts, such as the safe and loft
squad and the famous Costigan vice
squad, and substitution Of inexperi-
enced men who are "in right" at Head
quarters.
8. Transfer of trained detectives to
uniformed service to make room for