New-York tribune., 1920-12-29
Grimes Few, but Spec
tacular, Commissioner
Tells Conference of 100
Officials in Trenton
Urges Jersey Pass
An Anti-Cun Law
Finds Europe Dumping
Criminals Here, Unem.
ployment Spurs Some

No crime wave exists in New York.
But
eve are having a few spectacular
crimes, some of them atrocious, some
of them tragic"
at is the Wild West sort of crime"
1t is reminiscent of "the days of Jesse
James and the Younger brothers," AS
saults and robberies are being COM
mittcd because in the war "many
young men learned to use firearms for
the first time"
Commissioner Of Police Richard E.
Enright yesterday made these state
ments in explaining the prevalence of
crime at a conference called by Gov
ernor Edwards of New Jersey in the
state Capitol at Trenton to consider the
crime situation. About 100 state and
municipal officials of New Jersey at
tended
MI Enright, the only public official
invited from outside the state, was
informed that New Jersey did not want
the New York Police Commissioner, in
any campaign against crime, to drive
criminals across the Hudson River.
Suggests Law on Weapons
Answering this suggestion Mr.. En-
right declared that less crime might
prevail in New York if New Jersey
adopted law similar to the Sullivan
law, which prohibits persons from car
rying arms without permit; He cited
specific instances to show that crim-
rals captured in New York had OBJ
tanned their weapons in New Jersey.
Reasons for the present crime wave
as pointed out by Mr.. Enright in his
speech, Were:s
Lack Of cooperation between police
officials in different states. He said
Congress should be asked to organize
a bureau in Washington where infor-
nation about criminals could be collect
ed and distributed.
Bail is so easily obtained by crim-
nails that often while out on bail they
commit robberes to pay the expenses
of their defense.
Surety companies provide bail in
cases where reputable citizens would
refuse it.
New York gangsters obtain weapons
in New Jersey without difficulty.
The war taught the advantage of re-
volvers over the old method of using
slugrons, sandbags and brass knuckles.
Criminals are coming from abroad
end no medium exists between the Eu
ropean and American police for the
exchange of information concerning the
movements of criminals.
Blames Industrial Unrest
Industrial unrest and unemployment
cre driving to hunger many men who,
having learned the use of the gun and
NOT to care for human life, are likely
20 commit crime.
Mr.. Enright said he was much sur
prsed "to learn that there was crime
wave in New Jersey and other parts of
the country"
"For the last two or three weeks
had been led to believe that it had
Teen confined entirely to the City Of
New York" ne said on opering his ad
dress. "However. I think thai we are
able to cope with the crime situation
So far as New York City is concerned.
The records of our department will not
carry out the idea that crime wave
is prevalent in our city. We are nav
ing q few Spectacular crimes some Of
them atrocious, some Of them tragic,
but the aggregate OF felonies in the
City Of New York for the ynar 1920
will compare very fay orably With sim
lar records for 1910. the same records
fol 1918, 1917 and 1916.
"Of course, there is d new kind OF
crime abroad in the land, and think
hat is what is attracting the attention
of the public generally. 1t is the Wild
West sort of crime. We used to read
about it in dime novels, sometimes in
the newspapers during the days Of
Jesse James and the Younger brothers,
but It is only since the close of the
war, where. as somebody has very we'll
said here, many young men earned to
use firearms for the first time. that we
began to have this fern Of SPECTACULAR
CT me and holdup, which differs some
what from the conditions that existed
few years ago
Use of Guns Increases
1--WE did have the crimes of assault
and robbery just as numerous in the
old days as they are to-day, with this
eption-that the implement that
was used by the criminal was The slug
iron or the sandbag or brass knuckle les,
or some other means Of offense. The
gun, and the holdup variety of the