Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-29

IN THE RIGHT TRACK.

Steps are under way to bring order
out Of chaos In the police department
Tho first step, very properly, is the
general acknowledgement that the
mayor Is tho active head of the police
force. The police committee, of which
Alderman Wilson is chairman. will at
tend to the equipment and general
supervision Of the department. But the
mayor will be the executive head of
the department to whom the chief Is
responsible for carrying out orders
and general enforcement Of the law,
This is as it should be. The chief, at
least. will know who is superior from
now on.
But this is only a beginning. With
the mayor fulfilling his rightful duties
as the active head of the department
the city will look to him to keep up
the work now so well started.
The demand is for a shake-up OF
the department from the top to the
bottom. Beginning at the top with
the mayor once more in charge so that
the duel responsibility is now ended,
tho next step is to tackle the person
mel Of the department,
Perth Amboy has grown into q
good sized city. All kinds of
characters are constantly coming in
and out. The police department has
got to have men at it's head who are
able to match their wits against the
cunning of these gangsters. This will
require men who are acquainted with
the modern methods and who are
young and active enough to lead the
rest of the force In a capable and
efficient manner.
The department needs to be clean
ed out. Some who have served long
and faithfully should be retired on u
pension, others who are & disgrace to
the uniform ought to go. The conf
dence thai the public must have in
the department cannot be restored
until this Is done.
But the mistake should not be made
that because there are some bad men
on the force, all are bad. Perth AM
boy can boast of some Of the best
police officers in the state. 1t Is ex-
ceedingly distasterul to them to have
this odium cast upon them. They are
Handicapped not only by the mis-
conduct of a few of their fellow mem
bers, but because of a lack of the
proper kind of leadership They are
not given an opportunity to really
show what they can do. These are the
the men who should be brought for
ward and given the posts of re-
sponsibility.
We look to Mayor Dorsey to bring
about his necessary reform. We are
not unmindful of the fact that 1t is
going to be q difficult thing to do. A
police department is about the hardest
branch of the municipal government
to manage and the task that Mayor
Dorsey has before him win call for
much executive ability. He has
promised the city a business I'D
ministration, however. and he has
shown that he is capable of giving 1t
But the real test Is about to come. 1
Mayor Dorsey succeeds in reorganizlng
the police department.; undermining
1t and giving Perth Amboy the SER
vice that a city OF this size AND
character requires, he will have es-
Abolished a lasting reputation for him,
self.
The right sort of a start has beer
made as far as 1t is within the power
of the city under its present form Of
government TO change things. The
mayor henceforth. is to be the recog-
nized head of the police force and moi
the chairman or the police committee
of the Board of Aldermen. So far sc
good.
Mayor Dorsey is getting his meI
together this afternoon for a plair
talk on the situation. The mayor /
capable of plain speaking and 1t is fol
him to keep right at the matter I'm
til the whole job is finished. 1t Is onl!
fair TO the good men on the force
and there are plenty of them-tha
this be done. 1t Is a disagreeabl'
task, but one that is necessary, never
theless. Let's make a thorough clean
ing while we are at it and end for al
time the scandals that are being un
covered in the police department more
and more frequently. It is for tn,
welfare OF the city and the best in
terests of the people living here tina
this Is done.
ADVANCING THE TIME.
There was no other course left opeI