The New York herald., 1922-04-08
/ 900 WILL PATROL CITY
STREETS DAY AND NIGHT

far any one except peace officers TO get
arms"
President Ely Rosenberg of the New
York County Association Of the Grim
inal Bar, and Franklin Griev secretary,
gave out copies OF a resolution adopted
by the associa tion and favoring the en-
actment into law of the Westati bill no.
before Gov. Miller. which would place
all prisoners under the jurisdiction of
the Parole Board after one year IN
prison. The argument was advanced
that such a law would make Tor ef-
ficient economic conditions in the
prisons. tend to encourage prisoners 10
reform and permit the Parole Board TO
provide Cor the families of prisoners
The movement among citizens gener-
ally to take up pistol practice as O
means of protection resulted in a class
for young women employed In banks
and large corporation offices being or
ganized for pistol practice on Governors
Island under the instruction of Lieut..
John V. Domminey u. S. A. The class
will meet three times q week. Those
desiring instruction may apply to Capt
G.. c. Graham, adjutant. Fort Jay.
Young women from the National Bank
or Commerce and the American Rail-
way Express have enlisted.
tempered defense of the Police Depart
ment at the Press Club luncheon, where.
presiding over the table of fifty persons
more or less connected with the press.
Edward Percy Howard, president of the
club admonished working reporters Ito
be accurate as far as the blue pencil
would permit in reporting the Police
Commissioner. Much of Enright's speech
was a repetition of explana tions he has
made at similar affairs here and there
as to why the force has not always
functioned satisfactorily, principally be-
cause of the many special problems that
reduce the number of men available for
patrol, but he branched out into other
fields OF extenuation, taking hard rap
at the organizations which waste
mawkish sentiment on irreclaimab BILE
crooks" comparing his men to soldiers
who need to be told constantly that they
are good in order to keep up their mo-
rale. and calling on the press for help
instead OF accusation.
Decrfes CoddIing or CuIprits.
The mawkish sentiment wasted on
criminals Is a great danger to society
and a great obstacle to the preservation
Of law and ORDER" the Commissioner
said. I'VE have here a great deal OF
organized sentiment for the reclamation
of criminals. Doubtless the idea is all
right but it doesn't work. Such or
ganizations have broken down the rigors
of the penal courts and they are not
now OF punitive nature.
When the criminals are sent to
prison they get excellent food, the best
of medical treatment, baseball. dramatic
entertainment and movies. lectures and
an occasional opera. When they get
out. as they do soon. usually they don't
reform. They usually do something else
that takes them back to their country
hotel. where they are nicely taken care
OF and appreciated. Their surroundings
are ideal and leave nothing TO be de-
sired.
One OF the worst deterrents to good
police work is the bail bond evil. II has
worked great harm in the enforcement
OF criminal law. Crooks usually provide
themselves with fall money before they
start out to commit a crime. Then they
get out on bail. and IL arrested at night.
as ordinarily happens, they escape the
detectives lineup.
In that way the usefulness of the
lineup Is lost. The crooks evade identi-
ncation, and nothing is more useful To
them than to sidestep these lineups. |
believe that situation is going to be
cured TO large extent by the laws that
District Banton put through, and that
hereafter men arrested for crime wilr not
be out on bal. for such extended periods
Snow Case Up in July.
'"rhe example afforded to beginners
in criminality OF well known crooks out
on ball for long periods brings other
crimes, and in these long periods wit
nesses leave and details are forgotten
and juries often won't convict. Not so
long ago there was a case of a man
brought to trial on July / for failing TO
remove snow way back in the previous
winter, and of course, the case was
laughed out of court.
Detectives are neither supermen nor
magicians. They cannot foresee that
some criminal In Chicago Is planning a
job here. None of them claims,to be a
Sherlock Holmes. The police are fight
ing in the front line trenches ani they
are entitled to your cheers and tears
and at least your encouragement all
the time"
The Commissioner asserted that theSr!
has been great reduction in crime in
New York in the last five years. ani
said that at present there are an aver
age of 900 crimes monthly.
IF these are going to be emblazoned
on the blackboard" he said. in appealing
TO the newspapers for cooperation,
everyone is going to get excited and
criminals will be encouraged. In my
opinion there never will be such thing
as a crimeless city. Good soldiers can
not be made by criticizing them con-
stantly. Napoleon Bonaparte made
good soldiers by telling his men that
they were good. The Police Department
here can be compared to boiIershop-
everybody hollers. but few help"
Composition or Police Force.
Enright again pointed out that while
the force consists of slightly more than
11,500 men, nevertheless 5.319 OF these
men are on special service. such as
traffic. detective work and so on, AMI
that large number must constantly
be used in strike work. for there are
to keep order on the fringes of these
labor troubles. He said too that the
other departments. such as Health and
Tenement House take men that might
otherwise be used for patrol work, and
that there IL an average of more than
500 on vacation or sick leave daily.
Here. he said. the police ratio is only
ono to 51s Of population. while in Lon
don the ratio Is one TO every 200 OF
population. Also. he said, London Is
favored with population Of whom 80
per cent. OF its 100000 speak the Eng
lsh language and are bred In respect
H..