Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-06
'ROTAN To-Day OFF
POLICE DOPE PROBE
N
v''' Let corteIyou Silt Charges
Despite Mayors Request,
10 lntimation
LAY REACH TRIAL BOARD

District Attorney Rotan will not tax,
ne Initiative In prosecuting the twenty
policemen and detectives who were
suspended following charges involvins
tnem in the dope traffic graft.
Mayor Moore requested Mr.. Rotai
y take the charges under consideration
and suggested that he take action. Ir
reply which he is preparing TO send
the Mayor today, the District Attorney
u 10 intimated, steers clear of the con .
troversy and suggests briefly that the
police department clean up its own
family affairs.
Mr.. ,Rotan will point out. it Is said,
that the police bureau has ample fa :
stlities for action without aid from the
District Attorneys Office.
May Go to Service Board
1t is evident by maneuvers at City
Hall today that neither the Department
OF Public Safety nor the District Al =
torney's Office is anxious to take the
initiative In the matter.
Mayor Moore conferred with City
Solicitor Smyth regarding the action
which should be taken and it is under
mapped out to 20 into effect as soon
~as a decisive answer from Mr.. Rotan
10 received.
Those conversant with the regular
methods believe that the twenty accused
policemen will be brought before the
police trial board in the regular way
and the responsibility will ultimately
70 to the Civil Service Commission.
Several of the accused policemen
hn vi =
torney today, but their efforts were
futile.
Mayor Wants Action
I, explanation of his letter to Mr..
Retain. the Mayor said:
'Citizens have a right 10 be given
speedy and detailed reports upon the
charges which so affect the police force
upon which they look for protection.
am not prejudgng the cases of any of
the policemen. They will have every
opportunity to refute the charges. but
there will DC no wh!tewashing done
Director Cortclyuu said he hc!d the
same attitude as Mayor Moore and was
anxiously awaiting the District Attor-
aey's answer to the Mayors letter.
Frederick Loesch, house sergeant.
now at the Tacony station. was one ot
. group demanding an opportunity 10
dtepr0ve the CnargeS OF CarIullo. The
others who have asked for an !mlne-
diate hearing and protested :he!r limo.
cence are James j. Clarke. acting dc.
tective, and Detectives Jacob Com.
borrow md James II. Malone, all of
City Hall.
Director Cortclyou said today they
were the only members Of the
group suspended who have come to him
to assert their innocence. Loesch Wis.
tied the Director yesterday and made
long statement, IN which he denied ever
receiving n cent from CardullU.
On the witness stand. before Judge
McDevitt. Cardullo swore that Loesch
put him into the drug traffic. He said
he had been in various business enter
this country. hut had never sold drugs
until three years ago. when Loesch
showed him the profits TO be made. lie
asserted that Locsch was In reality the
central figure in the downtown mar
cotic drug syndicate.
Meanwhile, arrests in the dope
crusade are going along nerrily.
Angelo and Oreste Retacco, Tenth
and Mexican streets. charged with
selling narcotic drugs. were each hal,s
in $4,000 bail for court by Magistrate
Renshaw today. The men were arrested
as the result Of the statements made
BY Samuel Dimaco and Joseph Shields,
who said they had been buying heroin
from the Retacco brothers for the last
year.