Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-31
Board of Trade Committees
Finding Scores 5 Per Cent
as "UnscrupuIous."
MAKE FALSE ARRESTS,
F. LAY TRAPS, 1T CHARGES
Blames Transfer Method and Urges
Centralized Squad and New
Attention to Regulations.

About 5 per cent of Washington
traffic officers are giving black eye
to a force Of loyal and efficient men
according TO a report which the traffic
committee of the Board of Trade was
authorized by the executive committee
to transmit to the Commissioners to.
day
The report charged that some po
icemen are seeking to run up a rec
ord for arrests and are interruptions
in the means used. The committee
found, it claims, that they make ar.
rests on false charges which are diff
ficult for the motorist to disprove
against the word of the officer, and
that various traps are laid, such as
running with headlights off and hiding
in side streets.
In urging a centralized traffic squad
to control traffic and to train traffic
officers, the committee in it's report
states:
I'VE do not believe any one should
be permitted to indict the 95 per cent
Of loyal. efficient policemen, and we
do not do so, but such control would
soon check up the per cent left, who
are giving neither the police depart
ment or the public a square deal.
Hide i'm Side Streets
They hide in side streets to trap
motorists on technical speed cases.
they make arrests at night with their
running lights turned off. and falsely
charge and secure convictions of mo-
florists who are driving alone with no
witnesses when the speed is charged
from six to ten miles higher than the
legal speed actually recorded
BY close supervision and inspec-
ton of the actions of very few Off
GERS while on duty. it may be pos
sible to prevent their unwelcome at
tentions on woman drivers who may
or may not have committed some
trivial violation, and may prevent
much needless visiting with other
officers when on duty, and keep Off
GERS patrolling in the middle of the
street where they can be seen"
The report states that in its opinion
the public Is incensed at Thousand
of needless arrests" and cites in par
ticular conditions on Connecticut ave
nue. between Davenport street and
the Bureau of Standards, on Wiscon.
sin avenue. and on Massachusetts
avenue from Wisconsin avenue to
California street where numerous ar
rests have been made and where a
30mile speed limit is perfectly safe. :"
Transfers Blamed for Arrests.
The report states that Al 900 traffic
arrests We're made last year. or
nearly one tenth of the population
and declares, "a close check up of
the motor cycle officers transferred
to foot duty because of their low
record of arrests (Which in itself was
sufficient notice to those left as we'll
as to those new men who were
mounted) and subsequent transfers
with increased arrests. will easily ex-
plain the invisible method which was
used to give the public who were ar
rested an overdose of traffic regula-
ton"
The committee states that a central
control of traffic officers and methods
would bring about better cooperation
with so per cent less arrests. 1t also
urges a method of friendly caution
and warning by the police. except in
serious cases. and that the standing
of a policeman be based on the order
and lack of accidents maintained on
his beat rather than on the number
of arrests he can make.
The report terms as ridiculous
efforts of the police to enforce the
"single.file" control of movements of
traffic at all points. 1t urges that,
except in places where it is impossible.
cars be- allowed to move forward
abreast in order to speed up traffic
movement and prevent congestion.
The proper placement of signs at
boulevard intersections and stop
streets and the raising of speed limits
to a point where technical arrests at
safe speeds will be impossible" are
urged.