New-York tribune., 1920-12-01
Who Is William ]. Lahey ?.
fContirued from page oncl

fConurued from page oncl
II WAS not until the general police
shakNup contcMoorAneous with 'he
Brcser case that he really gained
nrominencc and newspaper nctoricry.
lls had n that time reached the rank
- Inspector under Con missioner
Phinelander Waldo and was in COM
mani Of the old Tenderlon.
While holding this important post
there were sensational Developments
IN his district which resulted in his
reduction IN his rank The primary
cause for his transfer was the raidirg
a. thirtv-tiVe disorderly houses in the
Tenderloin by Assistant District At
torney Jim Smith, then on District At
.orncy Whitmans staff.
These raids exposed the famous vice
trust and white slave ring, which were
shown TO have been operating actively
in Lahev's district. Smiths activity IN
the Tenderloin was followed by Lahey's
transfer to the command of the China
tor.n district While there he was
called as witness in the notorious
Mary Goode case when that matter was
,.ndcr Investigation by the CurrAn COM
mi.tes His testimony was marked by
yaeueness and falling memory
Among the statements he made before
the committee WIS t.t4N Que
Couldn't Have an Opinion
I'm Q subordinate in the department
and don't have an opinion on any
concrete sIbJcct.
Another raid. this one led by Com
missioner Waldo himself. was followed
bv IAhoy's transfer TO the Bronx This
raid occurred late in September, 1912,
and revealed conditions in Chinatown
which. in addition to bringing about
,.hev'S transfer caused Commissioner
Waldo to suspend Captain Frank
Tierncy.
when Arthur Woods became -'olicc
Commissioner one Of his first official
acts was to reduce Inspector Lahey to
the rank IF captain and assign him to
preciact duty. From that time he re-
maincd in obscurity until January "a.
lQls. when Mayor Nr.an appointed him
Denutv Police Commissioner. On the
preceding day the Mayor had appointed
Enlight Police Commissioner. At that
time lahey was captain Of the Old Slip
prccinc.
First Bow at Detective Bureau
VIXEN Lahol took Office as Second
Deputy Commissioner. in charge of the
Detective Bureau. it became evident
imm.dia ely hat he Was to play an i'm
poY.~nt part in the police adminstra-
tion One Of his hrst official acts,
taken with the consent. il not at the
direction, of Commissioner Enright,
was the ending OF tho dual control OF
the Detective Bureau by Inspectors
Joseph A. Faurot and John J. Cray,
both of whom had done conspicuous
service under the Woods regime
Faurot had made great Roadway in
the study of crime detection By the
nnger-p.in- So en- and had been re-
markably succe ul III the solution Of
crime mysteries by applying scien.ihc
methods which he had studied abroad.
The routine OF detective work was d.
.cc.ed by Cray and the two men
worked to'-cthey in harmony and with
highly satisfactory results.
While botn Faurot and Cray were re
tainea in the Detective Bureau they
were shorn Of power and the methods
o. operation which they had instituted
were entirely revised by Lahcy. The
presen, Chief Inspectors control over
the bureau rapidly increased until it
reached the supreme command which
he NOW enjoys. Il became impossible
lor either Faurct or Cray to know
vAat the men in the bureau We're do
Ing, because Lahey had devised a system
OF ideDtlacation numbers under which
they raGe their reports directly to his
Office.
Experts naQc were 4 iEUreHcaOS
Faurot and Cray became mere fig
urcheads in the Detective Bureau and
were finally eliminated from it alto
gether when Commissioner Enrisht
clcvatsd them 70 deputy commissioner
ships with duties entirely foreign to
detective work
Deputy Commissioner Lahey then
began gradually to assume the duties
and absorb the power OF Chief IN
spcctor John Daily. This did not become
eutwarily visible until the recent
Is. z. T. strike. when Enright assigned
y him 10 Brooklyn in charge Of the de
tec.;ve bureau and uniformed force.
Ills authority there was complete and
ended only when the strike was over.
4 short time later Commissioner
Inrigh- appoin-ed Lahev chief in
spee.or. with powers greater than
those aeid by the late William H.
1eNery when ne was Chief of Police.
He ROW commands the detective
bureau, the special squads, the board
OF inspectors, the captains, lieutcn-
ants, serEesnts, patrolmcn, doormen,
cleaners and bootblacHs.
Evidence Of Lahey's power, accord
ing 10 close observers of the situation,
= is found IN the abolition Of what was
called during the Woods administra-
ton the commissioners cabinet"
deputy commissioners, the chief in
spectoF and the entire board of in
spectors. Once week this board APP
peaged at headquarters in civilian at
tire and. after changing to full uni
form, marched 10 the Office OF Comnis-
sloner Woods for a conference which
many times lasted we'll into the night.
Al these caDine. meetings every
phase Of tho police situation was dis
cussed, and all proposed plans debated.
On several occasions Commissioner
Woods went down TO defeat or schemes
ne planned to incorporate in the de
partment's work when the cabinet
members proved hem either impracti-
cal or too expensive.
Out Of these conferences came such
scheme as the plan for protecting New
foik aCainst any emergency after war
had been declared; the system whereby
I'll two hours the Commissioner could
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