Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-08
DIR. PFAFFLIN
LOSES GRIP ON
PETIT POLICE
Humane Officers Will Report
to Gamewell Operator as
Others Do.
CHECK POSSIBLE

Indianapolis humane officers, who
have been operating under the ex-
elusive direction of DR.. G. A
Pfafflin, and reporting exclusively to
a stenographer with an Office in
Room IA, city police station, will
soon be making their reports to the
Gameweu operators Of the police de-
partment in the same way other
policemen do.
Announcement of an order changing the
special system for the operation Of what
has been termed the petit police
force" was made yesterday at the police
station and it was said that the system
would be effective just as soon as the
telephone company completed the in
stallatiOn of special phone connections
necessary to bring the petit police de-
partment" back into the fold of the In
hanapOlis police department
No reason for the change was as
signed in the announcement made at
headquarters, but it is known that the
desire to bring back into touch with the
real police department the officers who
have been directed by Dr. Pfafflin devel-
oped after the attention Of board of
safety members was called to the fact
that the four sergeants assigned to the
petit police department. were in the
habit of cOnfning their calls to a very
limited area, and the work of preventing
cruelty to dumb animals was the sub
ject of considerable criticism.
ONE USUALLY STAYED
NEAR DOWNTOWN PHONE.
N
kept by the stenographer under the d.
rection of DR.. PfafHn, who said he
was the humane society's chief of po-
lice" revealed that the four sergeants
were not required to cover any particu-
lar territory in their work and that at
least part OF them never strayed far
away from the downtown phones.
The disclosure that although numerous
complaints had been made to the humane
officers concerning the abuse Of dogs at
the Indiana University School of Medl-
cine, none Of the officers has ever visited
the college is also said to have fastened
the desire Of the authorities to ascertain
just what the petit police department"
was doing under the direction of Dr.
Pfafflin
Under the new system, the humane
officers will report from police boxes and
telephones in the same manner as other
policemen and there will be a check on
their activities which will not be subject
to the direction of DR.. PfaffIin. 1t Is
understood the doctor is very much or
posed to this system as with its inaugu-
ration the necessity Of the maintenance at
police headquarters of stenog-a pbar
for the doctor at the expense of the Com
munity Chest of indianapolis is less ap-
parent.
HOW HE GOT 1T
STILL A MYSTERY.
No one has as yet offered an explana-
tion Of how the humane officers fell
under the direction of Dr. Pfafflin, who
claims the privilege Of directing them be-
cause of his position as chairman of the
executive board of the Indianapolis HUI
name Society. The law provides for the
direction Of officers by the president Of
the Humane Society, but does not rec
ognize a delegation of this power to the
chairman Of the executive board, nor to a
stenOgrapher under his control
No public report of the meeting of the
members of the executive committee Of
the Human eSOciety with representatives
of the medical school yesterday has as
yet been made by DIR. Pfafflin, who had
arranged the meeting previously to the
time the society took up complaints OF
cruel treatment Of dogs at the college.
The executive committee Of the society
consists of DR.. Pfaflin, W. A. NIcCon-
nell, a veterinarian; George w. Butler,
head of the Federal Bureau of Animal
Industry; F. T. Cutshaw, w. S. Frye
and w. II. Roberts, who is an ex-officio
Continued on Page Four)