The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
POICE,FREEDOE -
POLITICS, ALREADY
SHOW EFFICIENCY
Days of Pull Gone at Station.
Metropolitan Methods Are
Adopted and Really Put in
by New Commissioners.
BY BOB H~lLpEBRAND.


TAs reconstruction Of the police de,
paFtment OF Memphis was started ~
earnest Just after the clocks tolied of
the midnight hour On Dec, 81 1919
advent OF a new kind Of city adminis
tratlon in the metropolis OF sunny Ten
neHsee. A mayor and four e0mmts-
eioners, none Of whom ever before hR
been candidates for public office. haa
been backed by the business men an
che newly enfranchIsed women Of the
city, and had been elected.
The election OF these five men
marked the passing Of the professional
politician In Memphls-long cursed and
torn Rsunder by bitter political faetional
fights. Coincidsntally. It marked the
dawn OF a new era for the police de-
partEnent, which for years had been Il
Football for the warning factions on the
political gridirun which tops the bluffs
that oyerhang the Mississippi river,
~ the point the maps indicate as Mem
Dhis.
Prestige, power and puil-these were
chs things the police officers Of Mem
phia had to buck In the old days, The
Arraek OF q solid" man might cost n
policeman his jewelry, even though the
y officer with his W eyes had seen the
privileged one break the law. II was
lssa majestic to go counter to the
boss"
But when election time came round.
bienniaIly, there always wal an 0ppus-
ing faction, a cry of reform, and a split
IN Ahe ranks Of the police department.
The majority usually chose to align
with the boss" who usually won, or
more properly, he backed the winning
aide. Then came splits, after the new
officials went TN, and the men whose
duty ii was 10 safeguard the community
which paid them their salaries were
put out between two fires. They had
10 be for n side or the other, and II
.'offlcial connection with the city pay
ron had been counted as lives, many Ia
the good police officer who was KILLED
IN action" in the political shambles.
Adieu Politics.
when the present mayor and city
commissioners took the stump during
the campaign, one OF their slogans was
Take the police department out Of
politics."
A sufficient number OF voters. male
and female, believed In the ardent cam
paigners enough to give them a sub
atantial majority Of the votes cast in
the November election, and Memphis
started the new year right.
Mayor Paine n Commissioners Ed
gar, Allen, Shannon and Johnson kept
their campaign pledge aR regards po-
lice. They turned over TO Commissioner
- - &s@@tN hhAN BNtl&N Gltt Ait 1Ns
paTtments, placing them absolutely I'M
der bis control, The fire department
needed no reorganization. II was, and
I'M In spleNdid shape. the two.platoon
system ana complete motorization being
already In operation.
Naturally. n shakeup followed. But
with less than q auZta exceptions. IL
Il . confined to the higher officials OF
thA department. and not to the rank
ana file, rs had been the custom under
the municipal ''spolls system"
Zoe =, Burney, whose record since
ne started as a patrolman on the Mem
phis police force 81 years ago. is az
clean as the proverblal hounds tooth,
wAN renamed chief Of police. The an
nCuncement was made that he would DO
tho real chief" and not d figurehead,
which the chief had been under the
regime Of the politicians, who cared
mere for private ACKNOWLEDGEMENT than
Tor public good.
Chief Burney successfully held, In
Ills III years OF service, the ranks OF
patFolman, sergeant, captain, inspector
Vt police, chief OF detectives, assistant
chief OF police and In 1917 was named
erlaf. His reappointmeHt was the high
eRt. possible Endorsement Of his ability
ard hts record.
Kindly Chief.
Joe Burney is a kindly. quiet, court.
$3.50 ia AfAG pnIl NtIk0W ABOUT JOG
Burney IL the gold braid that adorns
the shoulder straps OF his ~epaulets. and
the three gold stars on his uniform col
lar, insignia OF rank, Like many qulet-
spoken men. he is iron inside-exceptS
ing the heart.
When Joe Rurney was given full
charge Of the police department, he
tolc his 2a0 subofdinates what he ex.
pected in the way OF policing-and he
- getting II already, For the chiefs
W0ru is as good as his bond with his
men. When he told them he would
stand behind them In law enforcement,
no meant 1t, and they knew he meant
Y u the result Is that Memphis IN
Ivy " getting a brand OF metropolitan
police protection that is second TO none
thAt Il supplied in any city In the
United States North. South. East OF
In keeping with the spirit he wished
~ tnstln into his men. Commissioned
Edgar chose q. Jake Gwaltney as his
chief OF detectives. Gwaitney Ia n
modern, systematic, thorough man, q
natural leader, q disciplinarian, and a
Keen student Of the genus homo.
IN position of Inspector OF police
IN the old days usually had been filled
Iur political purposes, and sometimes
the so-called inspector really was the
chief~~the power behind the throne, the
4 who did the behest Of the poll
ucians Under Mr.. Edgar's leadership
the place was given to William u
Bee, a returned overseas soldier, who
= served with distinction as first
sergeant In the ll4th field artillery
unit OF the famous Thirtieth division,
line
Inspector Bees duty Is the instillpg
of military discipline into the Memphis
police force. the arduous work OF drill.
ing the men and teaching them the
proper and efficient use OF the pistol
and revolver.
Big Mike Kehoe.
There are two captains in the Mem
PMS police department. 1t was a fore
gone conclusion, before the result Of
the election was known. that one Of
shem would retain his position, unless
of police. ~
That man was Capt. Mike Kehoe. a
Dig, two-fisted Irishman, who for moro
4 so years has been n member OF
the Memphis police department. Mike
hehoe Is the ideal policeman. He ia
unacqnainted with fear. and he has
proved II time and again. Police OF.
Ulcers viii appreciate what an officer
M must be, when the fact is stated
THAT In his 30 years OF policing no
never mas Killed a man. although many
ot the most desperate criminals. white
\ black, who have been taken in
Mlelnphis. were arrested by Mike Kehoe
Y ms capacity of patrolman. sergeant
months in 1|9I7-1s, he was assistant
chief, in charge of the enforcement OF
the liquor laws.
capt. kehoe il a p}etureqrpn ohor,o