The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-12-18
Police Chief Admits There
Are BLACK Sheep on Force


town, in circles ordinarily well informed
that there was graft in the police department.
Stories have been circulated that:
sum aggregating 100000 month has been
collected by policemen for protecting" law vo-
latons
Policemen some of the Lucrative beats" as
sessed the proprietors of bootleg joints and
houses OF i'll repute large sums for protection"
That complete lists of the names, addresses
and amounts of assessments were kept by "col-
lectors' to make periodical rounds of the beats,
gathering up the money.
That gambling houses set aside cut as a
guarantee against interference by the policeman
on the beat
That all sorts of places doing business on the
ragged edge of the law, were shaken down" for
large sums by various members of the police
department in exchange for being allowed to OPP
crate.
That even minor offenses, such as traffic vio-
lations, were being squared with the law by
slipping the officer something" and that many
concerns whose business required that their
trucks or wagons stand overlong in the streets
could evade interference by paying the cop"
The manager of one Seattle taxi comapny, at
recent meeting of autoists, made the open
statement that when he started business he had
been approached by member of the police de-
partment and told that unless / come thru, I'll
" iuh ouS VI tOWii. OpSldtOlo VI bdAlS anu iOI-
hire cars, he said, who refuse to contribute to
this police grease pot are marked for special
attention by many traffic officers.
THE grand jury, following the II indictments
returned as result of its gambling invesiga-
tion is turning next to probe of the police de-
partment
Police Chief Severyns says he will give Prose
cutor Douglas every aid in cleaning house" in
the department
Reports have it that several of those already
indicted have asked for permission to save their
faces by telling what they know
For the chief, he says he welcomes such
probe as Douglas contemplates He denies that
there is truth in the taxi mans charges, but says
that he realizes there are "black sheep" in his
department, and wants them cleaned out In
order to give the honest men on the force
clean bill of health, Severyns has promised the
prosecutor every aid.
Seems rather inconsistent, too, considering
that Mayor Brown for whom Severyns is right,
hand man, pooh-poohs the grand jury nvestiga-
ton, and calls it politics.
THE persistence of the graft stories and the
neat way in which the gossip, starting at
widely divergent points, dovetails into the
whole, lends credulity to them.
Where there is so much smoke there is bound
to be some fire.
The grand jury, which so far has confined
its efforts to violations of the gambling laws
should begin Immediately to rake over the Goals
in the police department and FIND THAT FIRE
IF 1T EXISTS.
The public has heard so much of it in gossip
and for so long, that THE PUBLIC BELIEVES
IT'S THERE
Chief Severyns indicates from his statement
about "black sheep" that HE BELIEVES IT'S
THERE.
The Star wants to see every CRATER landed
behind penitentiary bars.
For it believes there is no crook so abhorrent
as the officer Of the law who in reality is wolf
in sleeps clothing.
It's up to you, Prosecutor Douglas, to SMOKE
THEM OUT!
prcKrocnEr GETS CASH HUGHES DENIES FARLEY