New-York tribune., 1921-05-04
Police Chiefs
OF 137 Towns
Confer Here
First National Meeting to
Further Standardiza-
tion of Methods Opens
in H o { e | Commodore
Merchants Act as Hosts
Mayor Hylan and Con,1nis-
sioner Enright Speak;
Sessions to End Saturday

l
The frst National Conference 81
Chiefs and Superintcndents of Police
Of the United States was opened yes
terday at the Hotel Commodore. There
were present more than 200 police off,
cials representing 1877 towns and forty
one states.
! The conference, the purpose of which
| is to bring about general standard
ization of police methods and closer
| system of cooperation between the
various departments throughout the
country, will continue in session until
Saturday night.
| Following the organization confer
ence held in the Commodore yester-
day morning, the delegates were enter
| tanned by the Merchants Association Of
| New York at luncheon served in the
grand ballroom.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the
convention was called to order again
for the purpose Of hearing an address
on the subject OF the Standardization
Of traffic laws by Police Inspector John
O'Brien. Colonel Douglas I. Mckay,
formerly a Police Commissioner Of
New York, spoke at the afternoon ses-
sion on the lack of cooperation be-
tween Federal, state and city police
forces.
Last night the delegates were enter
tanned by the Police Department Glee
Club and listened to addresses by AS
sistant District Attorney Alexander
|. Rorke, Chief Magistrate McAdoo and
Samuel w.. Taylor. Mr. Rorke, dealt
with the subject OF american Citizen
ship" while Judge McAdoo spoke on
Police officials and Their Work From
the Standpoint OF the Citizen, Business
Man and Professional Man"
The. week-long conference was
opened officially yesterday morning by
Mayor hylan, who was introduced by
Police Commissioners Enright. The
invocation was delivered by Father
Francis P. Duffy, chaplain Of the seth
Regiment, who said prayer for the
welfare of public officials. The prayer
was composed by Archbishop Carroll
at the close of the Revolutionary War.
Mayor Hylan said that it was
pleasure for him to welcome to New
York the representatives of SO many
cities and he prophesied that the dele
gates would find the metropolis an
ideal convention city.
Mayor Suggests Reforms
Getting down to the purpose of the
conference, the Mayor said, in part:
"There is lamentable lack of CO.
operation between police organizations
of the country as we'll as lack of CO.
ordination in police work. Many
changes are necessary in order to effect
improvements in police service and
assist in the administration of Grim
inal justice.
81 sincerely hope that, as result of
this conference, there will be brought
about the following very desirable re-
forms:
Standardization Of police procedure
methods and systems throughout the
United States, closer cooperation be-
tween the various police departments
throughout the country and coordi-
nation of police work, Standardization
of traffic regulations and traffic sym
bols, establishment of central police
bureau, perhaps in Washington or else
where, where criminal intelligence and
constructive police information may be
collected and distributed, the establish
ment of some efficient method of ham
ding criminal immigration through
American ports, including Canada and
Mexico, the establishment of some sys-
tenn for controlling and tracing the
movements of criminal anarchists and
radicals, the establishment of some
information concerning the movements
OF known criminals in and out Of
prison"
The Mayor laid particular stress on
the need for general interchange of
police information. He declared that
the release Of criminals from prison
is information that should be in the
hands of every police department in
the country if effective work is to be
done toward the prevention of crime.
oon9asama IN describing the purposes : Of the tn
practicable repeated what the Mayor
had said. SHe added that the New York
Police Department has the finest finger
print system in the world, and for this
he gave credit to Joseph A. Faurot,
Third Deputy Commissioner.
Attacks Prison Reformers
Commissioner Enright took sharp
fling at prison reformers, who, he said,
seemed intent on protecting criminals
rather than society. He advocated an
efficient system for the exchanges of
police information and urged the es-
tablishment of a Federal bureau of
identification, suggesting, as Mayor
Hylan did, that it be situated in Wash
ington.
When Mr.. Enright had finished his
speech, mayor Hylan extended an i'm
vitation to the delegates to visit the
City Hall Thursday morning
i want you to know me personally,
SO that you may Judge me at first
hand" declared the Mayor. He supple
mented this bit of hospitality with a
gentle jab at the newspapers, which.
ne said, did not always select the most
favorable news to print
To-day the visiting delegates will he
addressed by Commissioner Faurot on
the subject of criminal Identification.
while Frank l.. Christianson, superin-
tendent of the New York State Reform
atory, and John S. Kennedy, president
Of the State Prison Commission, will
outline methods of achieving cooper
alton between the police and prison au-
thorities. In the afternoon Special
Deputy Commissioner John A. Harriss
VIII talk on traffic regulation.
Writes of Mickey Hating
Hor.. Enlc T:c vVJsxv ~y