New-York tribune., 1921-11-17
Costigan Quits
Force; System :
Back, He W arms
Old Evil Is More Sinister,
Stronger Than Ever, Says
Enright's Foe When He
Turns In Captains Shield
Shadowed for Last Time
Raided Places Watched by
400 Patr0lmen Remain
Open, Honest Dam Ayers

There was buoyancy to the tread of
Honest Dan Costigan last night as he
descended the steps OF the Brownsville
police station at 2 Liberty Avenue,
Brooklyn, that had NOT been his for
many year. His days of stepping
carefully were over. He walked down
the steps just Daniel Z. Costigan, able
citizen, no longer police captain, no
longer an object of suspicion and sur
veillance by the system.
He went to his home in the Bronx
confident in the knowledge that for the
first time since Lieutenant Richard +.
Enright became Police Commissioner
that officials confidential man was not
dogging his steps. He walked out of
the police station and out of the de-.
partment in which he had served more
than thirty-two years grateful that he
had not another four years to serve.
It is his opinion that the next four
years will be hard shedding for the
honest men of the Experimentation the
men who are neither cogs in the sys-
tenn nor fearful of that dread machine.
That the system is back in the depart
ment again he is sure. 1t is back, he
says, in a more potent, more sinister
and more elusive form than ever be-
fore.
System Survives Inquiry
"The system that was thought to
have been killed by Governor Whitman
in his investigation of the murder of
Herman Rosenthal, the gambler, and
that which led to the conviction of the
grating Harlem inspectors has been
rehablitated," said Mr.. Costigan.
"Those in control have profited by
the mistakes which their predecessors
made. The present system in the Po-
Lice Department is more thorough and
more vicious than any machine in the
past. 1t is practically impossible to
put your finger on any of it's workings
unless you are q member of the de-.
partment and have studied it's methods.
New York is clean Mayor Hylan
repeatedly told the voters so during
his recent successful campaign for re-
election. Maybe Mayor Hylan believes
it is clean Maybe he has believed the
reports that were especially compiled
for his benefit.
"But, if he believed the reports to be
true, why didn't he ask his Police
Commissioner how it was that New
York taxpayers have contributed $780,
600 year to pay the salaries of 400
policemen assigned to duty at raided
premises, ostensibly to warn all who
entered that such places were under
police surveillance and liable to be
raided?
why, if New York is clean, are
these men kept from their duty of pro-
tecting your home and mine? Why
aren't they on the street? Why is it
necessary to withdraw 400 men from
patrol duty for this purpose if New
York is clean? IfNew York is clean,
why are all these places still running
and with policemen stationed at their
doors?
If the Mayor honestly believes New
York is Clean can he reasonably re-
sent an inference that these policemen
are being kept az such places for the
protection of the proprietors? Can he
say that it is unfair for the average
citizen to think that the presence of
uniformed policeman is a guaranty to
the frequenters of the resort that
Headquarters has been fixed.'?"
Only Thrice Under Charges
Captain Costigan retired from the de-
partment with a record as nearly i'm
maculate as any policeman may hope to
achieve. In thirty-two years of service,
many of them devoted to helping hon
est police commissioners fight "the sys-
tem," charges have been brought
against him only three times.
Each time it was in his early years
as policeman when he was doing pa
troll duty. Each time the charge was
that he had been talking to another
ratrolman during his tour of duty.
Each time he was fined half-day's
pay.
"I have been trailed or shadowed
every minute since the appointment of
Enright as Police Commissioner" he
saids "His confidential man, Detective
Devine, has been paid by taxpayers
money to devote his entire time to
keeping tabs on me.
'sHe put me to bed every night, as