Evening star., 1921-12-25
Secret Service Official
Explains French System of
Maintaining Law and Order


see a native under the influence of
! liquor in my country that such
| sight would be something of a SEN
| sation to neighbors and friends.
i = X x
being made to organize d central
police agency here in Washington for
the purpose of cooperating with the
police departments Of all the towns
and cities of the United States. Police
Commissioner Enright Cf sew York
and Rear Admiral Dillingham; of Nor
folk, Va, and Washington, 1 am told.
are interested in it's promotion. 1t
would certainly bring about Il better
cooperation in checking crime and
apprehending criminals No doubt
there is a very great advantage in
centralized system. The work CEN
tralized in the Paris police is multi
tudinous.
Paris is divided into twenty ar
rondissements. Each reimbursement
is divided into four quarters, each OF
which nominates d member of the
| municipal councillors. These eighty
councillors, together with twenty-one
additional ones elected by the cantons
of the rest of the department of the
Seine, form the departmental council.
There is no elective mayor in Paris.
but each ACCOMPLISHMENT has mayor
SO Paris has twenty mayors.
The mayors act as registrars, draw
up electoral and recruiting lists AM
superintend the poor relief of their
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. There - q just ice o:
the peace (juge de DaiX) nominated
by the government in each arron-
basement. The chairman of the mu-
nicipal council, who is nominated BY
his colleagues. merely acts as chair
man Of their meetings.
When occasion requires the func-
tions of mayor are discharged by the
prefect of the Seine. the prefect of
the Seine and the prefect of police
are both magistrates named by the
government, but each with quite
distinct sphere of action. They rep
resent the executive authority as op-
posed to the municipal council, which
latter has no power, but it can refuse
vote of credit to stop any public
service, the maintenance of which
legally devolves on the city. In case
of such refusal the minister Of the
interior may officially insert the
credit in the budget. In like manner.
he may appeal to the head of the
state TO cancel any decision in which
the council has exceeded it's legal
functions.
''The prefecture of police includes
the whole department of the Seine
and some neighboring communes in
adjoining departments. Its sphere
embraces the apprehension and pun
ishment of criminals tpclice judi
ciare). general police work. includin"
police service. and municipal poli.
ing.
THE state. in view of the non-m,-
nicipal functions of the Paris pole,
repays a proportion of the annua
! budget, which this prefecture receive:
| from the city. Besides numerous du-
! ties consequent on the maintenance.
! of order. the police have supervisfoi.
| over the inspection of weights ant
| measures. authority over public spec
tacles. surveillance of markets, wac.
supply. sewerage, etc.
/ 1T indicates the power centraliZ,,
in the police department OF rar.
when it is considered that the prefec-
ture of police has attached to it ,ii.
conseil d'hygiene publique ct de salu-
/ brite of the department of the Seine
| THE municipal police. consisting OF
! brigades of gardens de la paix, ar,
i divided among the reimbursement.
in each of which there is an oticie,
de paix in command. In nearly every
| quarter there is a commissaire de
! police, whose duties are of semi
legal nature; the police must have
his sanction before they can commit
( an arrested individual to prison. and
! ne also fuifills magisteriai functions
! in minor disputes"