Evening star., 1925-11-08

finds the Police Department JUSTIFY
ing rough methods used in capturing
some law evaders by describing such
criminals as dangerous men, against
whom only extraordinary means are
successful.
on the other hand, many of those
arrested for breaking the Nolstead
law declare that the police go out
of the way to treat them roughly, TO
manhandle them in making arrests
and. in many cases, to beat them
M when no necessity for such treat
ment prevails.
The police have many sympathlZerS
among the law-abidinS public, VINO
declare that while the law exists on
the statute books it must be en-
forced. and those caught violating II
deserve little sympathy. -,
Probably as many law-aUdlng clti-
zens believe that the police take ad-
vantage of their power to builyras
small offenders of the prohloiIion ll
Laws and to use needless violence IN
making arrests. They also deplore
rhe damage which is done or threat
anad 70 innocent bystanders when
these arrests are made.
This situation is revealed from uls-
course. not only with the polce' out
with those whom the police arrest
ar sock to arrest for dry law VIOLA
tionS.
Has "Genteel' Side.
OF course, there are dlHereht
classes of policemen, Just as tnele
are different classes or oootlesseiS o.
There are the policemen who WORK
On raids in "genteel" liquor dlstrlp-
,,tirp centers. where violence plays
ItttJa if any, part in the struggle
tatv-ean the arms of the law and the
,,ioIatorS Then there are pohceneh
I,bo work on rum-running autoHlo
biIis+s-an entirely different gentrS
Prom, the person a wet Calls up
uban he feels thirsty-and IN 1hls
,-nrl. an entirely different aspect OF
tha case presents itself. For, just
"a the purveyor Of liquor 10 the
round. the city parties of a Wet ha
+,,ra works smoothly ana NlIhout
need of violence, there IS uespei az
streak running through tIe "' u
speeding liquor into the CITY. ..u.,
of view.
From the rumrunners:
"Cons are making it practlce 10
heat mn the fellers at hrSt sign l
Thev don't give them any right unuer
tho Constitution at all. II they uoll
90 to their gats when they frst see
hot car, they come in with theif
fists. ,,est;ons
They use their fists first ana talh
afterwards. q And they're so Darn lIee
With the use of their guns that we
have to protect ourselves someho"
we amt going to be shot down llhe
dogs for running Il few sallons oi
liquor into town.
Nothing to Be Shot For.
Running liquor is only a mlsde-
meanor; it amt teloh9' II am
nothing to get shot tor,
.sWhen there's a capture, Whdt
tho story? Cops come fiocklng lnto
tho machine with drawn guns, WIN
ready mitts all doubled up ana walt
ing To meet somebody's Jaw. Inc
cons could enforce the law without
all this rough stun.
That's one side of the story. 70
lice are charged freely with being TOO
ready to search an automoblle' Win
heing too ready to use force 10 eiiecl
an arrest; with stretching their I'M
aginations to find probable cause LOT
searching a car.
RootIeggers feel that they are not
d
conaI observation shows that they are
eanera1lv dangerous-many will hight
IN the last-but some are yellow
and virtually none, on an average
are superior in strength to the po-
lice who are sent against them.
More than one has displayed a
black eve, broken nose, or patcneo
IN head, after encounters with ponce
4 glance over hospital reports for the
last year will show that many nave
received injuries in altercatlons win
police dry" law enforcers.
Citizens See Brutality.
The stories of alleged police bru-
tality, however, do not come eAclu-
siveIy from the bootlegSmg class
Every now and then "a citizen pops
mn who claims he has seen brutal
methods used, but who has not SUI
ficient interest in the case TO lose
time from his business to take upon
himself the role of prosecutor.
Police generally reply to these
stories. floating about, by stamping
them wet propaganda. Here is
s1ch a case, reported by one claiming
70 be an eyewitness, cited here as
an example OF the talk, without
youching for the accuracy or mac
Icuracy of the statements:
Less than six weeks ago police came
upon a white liquor delivery boy at
Sixteenth and l streets. The car, a
Ford, was swinging along in flight be-
fore the police machine when the lat
ter started crowding it to the curb.
Just as it came abreast several parked
ears the police machine sideswiped it.
The blow sent the fugitive car against
three parked carS-tWo of which were
inexpensive machines and one of
which was brand new and expensive
causing severe damage to the tenders
and bodies.
Then the liquor car backed away
and started off again., but was soon
brought to q standstillt Out hoped