Evening star., 1925-02-25
OWNERS CAN DENY
| AUTOS TO POLICE
"Commandeering" Not Al
lowed and Any Loan Is at
Drivers Risk.

Policemen cannot commander"
automobiles of private citizens and
order the drivers to chase bootleg
cars, 'Hit-and-run" motorists or other
law Viclators.
They may, however request" a
passing motorist to engage in such a
chase, but If he accedes to the ''sug-
sestion.' as he almost Invariably will,
he does so at his own risk.
In other words, if his car is smash
ed up during the pursuit, or he damages
the property of another, he needn't
expect the Police Department to pay
the bill.
Such are the declarations of In
spector Albert J. Headley. in charge
of the Traffic Bureau, in commenting
on recent instances where citizens
aided police in capturing fugitive cars.
Little Chance TO Collect
The only hope the motorist has in
the event his car is wrecked under
the above circumstances is to reach
an agreement. in and out of the
courts, with the policeman involved.
This hope is forlorn one it seems, as
policemen seldom are able to pay for
such damages, if willing, and there
appears to be no disposition on the
part of the courts to compel them to
do so.
Legally, the motorist must assume
the risk, because he was not compell-
ed by law. in the first place. to take
the policeman in his car and join in
the case, the inspector points out,
and because, in the second place. he,
strictly speaking, should not have
been speeding. even with the consent
of the officer in his car.
Realizing, however, by this con-
hn nj Cot,
citizens who readily risk their lives
and property in aiding the police
capture law violators, the police Of
ten endeavor to adjust such cases by
bringing the officer and the citizen to
some unofficial understanding, the
traffic chief indicated.
Many Claims Filed.
Evidence that these adjustments are
not matter of course was shown,
on the other hand, when the inspector
pulled open a file case on his desk
and pointed to the several hundred
folders within, with the remark:
They all want the Police Depart
ment to pay them damages"
An interesting variation of the usual
communicating" methods occurred
several years ago when Headquar rters
Detective Arthur Scrivener, in the
midst of daring pursuit after
criminal armed with a revolver, jump
ed into parked automobile, took the
steering wheel and stepped on the
gas in chase. A short distance further,
while subjected to d fusillade of bull
let's which broke the windshield in
front of him, a bullet shattered his
wrist, causing him to lose control of
the car, which crashed into a tree
The fugitive car at the same time
was abandoned by the man pursued,
and Scrivener, despite his disabled
hand, jumped out just before the COM
mandeered car was wrecked and over
took his man on foot
Scrfvener Paid Bill.
The owner of the wrecked car pre-
sented to the Police Department a bill
for S45 for the damage done Scrive-
ner's chief recommended to the su-
perintendent of police that the bill be
paid by the municipal government,
but the claim was denied on the
ground of lack of authority to use
District appropriations for such pur-
pose.
Scrivener, cognizant of the gross
injustice done the owner, then paid
the bill out of his own pocket. When
his associates at police headquarters
learned of his act they Clipped in
among themselves and reimbursed the
popular detective for his loss. And
when a prominent local business man
learned what the associates had done,
he wrote out a check for S45 in their
favor, so that eventually the mem
bers of the force lost nothing.
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