Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1921-09-03
PASS THE BUCK
IN BOOZE CASES
Prosecutor Stricken Points
Out Failure to Enforce Law
in MiIItoWn
OFFICIALS EYES CLOSED
Justice of Peace Tells of Con-
DitionS Existing There in
Letter to Prosecutor
OFFICIALS EYES CLOSED
BY Evening News star Correspondent

IBy Evening News STAFF Correspondent
NEW BRUNSWICK, Sept. g.
Lack of cooperation on the part of
municipal authorities is proving a
serious handicap to the prosecutor
and his detectives according to a
series of letters concerning the vio-
lations of the provisions of the Van
Ness act which have been reported
to the prosecutor.
That open and fragrant violations
of the law are being countenanced
by municipal officials is practically
charged, though the buck is passed
along to the prosecutor as an enforc-
ing agent, in face of the fact that
the provisions of the New Jersey
enforcement act specifically name
municipal officers as well as the
prosecutor as officials on whom the
responsibility rests for seeing that
the law is enforced.
The law. Prosecutor Stricken
points out. reads as follows:
Section No. 54. 1t shall be the
duty of every sheriff, constable,
police officer and other peace officers
to use all due diligence to detect
violators of this act and therefore to
| make complaint before magistrate
as herein provided.
Section No. IL. any magistrate,
mayor, police or peace officer or con-
stable within the territorial limits of
his authority, may without warrant
arrest any person whom he finds in
the act of violating any of the pro-
visions of this act, and may also
seize any liquor, implement of man
ufacture or sale and any vehicle in
the possession of such person, and
detain such person or chattel until
warrant can be procured.
One case is pointed out by Pros
ecutor Stricken as an example. Jo-
seph A. Headley, justice Of the peace
at Milltown, recently informed the
prosecutor that although he knew
the law was being violated little
seemed to be done by the authorities
to enforce it. Prosecutor Stricken
then wrote Headley letter quoting
the above laws and pointing out that
it was the duty of municipal officers
to see that the provisions of the
Van Ness law are carried out.
Following is copy of the reply
to this letter which Prosecutor
Stricken received this week:
---~-- 'Milltown,
August 27, 1921.
"Mr. Stricken, Prosecutor.
Dear Slf.--f I cur letter just ar
| rived and noted. / am on good
terms with all the borough officers
and officials and you, know, will be
very slow to get me in wrong with
them or quote me as an authority.
Il suppose they mean all right in
way, but simply allow personal
views and sympathies to overrule
their duties in carrying out the law.
Nearly every man in authority here
don't like to recognize what is writ
ten in the Van Ness act. 1t is a
continued wink at law breaking.
One high official told me that you
must not see lots of things.
Yesterday John Dorm, chief of
the police committee, and the man
who orders all police actions told
me about new ordinance on
peddlers "a $40 fine on these ped
dlers selling bread and all
sorts of things on the streets. |
braced him Immediately on the
drunks and the various ones selling
hooch here. He said :'Oh, that is up
to the prosecutor" l replied that
when we can't or won't do anything
then the prosecutor steps in. He
smiled and walked away. l am will
ing to work with any one.
yours truly
JOSEPH A. HEADLEY,
Justice Of the Peace"
You ask for real evidence that
you can use. ones that know are
very careful to keep such from me
instead of telling me-"