Evening star., 1925-11-07
Study Of Report Reveals
Crusaders Casualties Out.
number Rum Runners.
FIGURES ANSWER JURY
APPEALS FOR CAUTION
Average Seizure in Raids Eight
Gallons, Survey Shows, Confuting
"Half.Pint" Charge.

Are police working along haH.pint.
arrest lines?
These pertinent questions have pop
ped up for consideration as the result
OF the widespread interest ergendered
in local prohibition enforcement as the
result of the recent coroner's inquest
into the death Of Charles c. Deegan,
the recommendation by that jury to
curb reckless activities" of the fiyinS
squadron, and the probabilities that
grand jury investigation at least into
the DecEan case will begin next week.
Figures Show Case Fully.
The answers as obtained from sur
vey of police records and from police
themselves directly are:
Police shoot 10 protect their own
lives or the lives of others.
An average Of the liquor seized over
a large number of arrests Is eight
gallons.
To consider the first question, a
brief review of personal injuries fol
lowing In the wake OF local prohibition
enforcement Is necessary. The out
standing deathx-and probably the
only deaths except Deegan's traceable
TO prohibition enforcement-aret those
of Policeman Raymond Leisinger, who
was killed almost two years ago after
he had hoped on the rear of
suspected liquor car, to be shot dead
by an occupant during an attempted
escape, and the death OF the nun at
Providence Hospital last Spring.
killed by a bootlegging automobile
fleeing from police.
Record Of Injuries.
In ho
rorcemenr Of the law include far back
In the history Of local dry" work, the
beating of Policeman Dennis Murphy
and Prohibition Agent Harold Stephen
son on Biadensburg road. when both
we're close to death; several sporadic
Injuries TO Lieut.. Davis: vice squad
during chases; the non.serious wound
ing Of James r. Parker. who sustained
q bullet .hesh wound after chase near
Thomas Circle October Is last, and
several other cases. the most i'm
being the wounding OF Senator Frank
L. Greene Of Vermont by prohibition
agent.
The death OF Charles c. Deesan
was the tlrst recorded death OF a per-
son being pursued by police In enforce
ment work.
Now the question comes up:
When do police go to their revoiV-
ers?
Capt. Burlingsme, chief Of the n.y.
ing SQUADRON at whom the criticism
of the coroners jury for reckless ac-
tivities" Is believed to have been aim
ed, declared today that the practice
was to resort to firearms only In the
protection of the lives Of police, after
being threatened with death either by
a revolver OF a fugitive or after
fusitive's automobile has sought to
ram the police car and wreck 1t.
Many Cases Unmentioned.
ton. Whenever n batch of shots Is
fred whenever there Is an injury;
whenever there Is capture after
spectacular chase. the public Is made
Immediately aware Of the details.
These impressions cling yividly In the
mind. But. Capt. Burlingame points
out, there are at least 40 cases about
which nothing has been said, In which
police allowed suspected bootlegsers
that pursuit might endanger the lives
or property Of persons on the street.
There have been dozens OF cases in
which bootleggers have made their
getaways without police resorting to
revolvers. although. in their opinion.
they were entirely justifed in so
doing. About such cases nothing Is
said. The chases Of this nature pro-
duced no tangible result. There was
nothing to show for them-nothing
except the abiding belief by the en-
forcement officers that such chases
might have ended in injuries and
damage II pursued to the extreme.
Accordingly, the red side Of the record
gets the spotlight-the clear side Is.
consigned to oblivion.
Rum Car Fired First.
In the chase on Saturday, October
IS, when shots were fired In the vicin-
ity Of Thomas Circle, the facts were
that the car of the suspects actually
attempted to ram the automobile OF
the police; the police are ready to
swear that the shots first came from
the liquor car and that they were not
returned until the police reached
vacant space where danger Of harm
to bystanders was at a minimum: five
bullet holes showed in the automobile
Of the police, any one OF which few
feet in different direction might
have cost the life Of an enforcement
officer Thus 1t stands.
Records of the police show that
there have been dozen chases in
which shots have been fired in the
last four months. This Is out OF
almost 10 times as many total chases.
In many of these chases police al
lowed fugitives to escape; in others
fugitives abandoned their automo-
biles and made successful getaways;
In still others, both automobiles and
fugitives were taken.
In none of these cases, police main.
tain, were shots fired by them until
after their lives had been jeopardized.
Now. as to the liquor seized.
In the fourth months ended Oc-
tober 81 police arrested exactly 927
persons on charges Of illegal pos
session.
During the same period police
seized 7,741 gallons of liquor and
beer in bulk. This disregards seizure
OF about 400 gallons of bottled beer
and 9,740 gallons of mash.) T..
Average Seizure Eight Gallons.
A simple mathematical computa-
ton will show that If OPT persons are
arrested for Illegal possession. and
7.741 gallons of intoxicants were
seized the average arrest would
net about gallons OF liquor.
During this period there were 331
cases for selling hquor made and
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