The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-04-15

from the city. but not confscated
as they should have been.
Every once in awhile the politi-
clans would spread the rumor that I
was to be ousted and the lid would
be lifted and vice and rum would re-
turn to their own. This always
meant renewed drives and raids.
4 AL efforts were not vain. Poison
liquor which in the preceding ad-
rninistration had exacted toll of
many lives was entirely eliminated.
More than 200 dives, masquerading
as restaurants. cider saloons and
cigar shops, which had openly sold
what was called "block and fall
whisky walk a block and fall dead,
were closed before the end OF the
half year. Deaths from that cause
ceased.
More Actual Policing
worked out a plan to remove
the police from the control of poll
ticians and at the same time to put
more Of them on street duty. II
must be understood that out of the
entire force of 1900 men, only half
were available for street duty. That
meant 2,100 men to patrol $500 miles
of streets and alleys. Manhattan,
in New York, with $500 miles of
streets, has almost four times as
many men on patrol duty. Our 2,100
worked in three shifts of eight hours
each, so there were never more than
700 men on the streets at any one
time. We abolished indoor sine
cures and put 200 extra men on the
street. We eliminated several an
tiquated police beats and so OBJ
tanned sixty more men for patrol.
Then we dealt the death blow, for
the time being, to political control.
AS previously explained nearly
| every ward had a police station.
There were forty-two stations. A
study revealed that elimination of
eighteen of these stations would
save hundreds Of thousands of
dollars, would release 100 men for
patrol duty and would make it hard
for the ward politicians to handle
the police.
Politicians Mixed
We rearranged the districts so
| that each police station covered two
or more wards. This would natural
ly bring two or more ward leaders
into conflict for control. Instead of
one lieutenant in each district, we
could have two and captain. And
each of these three would be brought
in from a different part Of the city,
with different political affiliations.
How could two or three ward lead
ers control three different police Of
ficials from outside wards? We be-
lieved it would be impossible.
We worked out our new map and
put it up to the mayor, having first
obtained written opinion from the
city solicitor that the plan could be
put into operation by the director Of
public safety, without legislation by
the city council or the approval Of
the mayor. I explained to the mayor
that the plan would help me carry
out his pledge to the people to
divorce the police from politics. At
the same time it would help keep
crime down.
The mayor approved and initiated
the plan.
I made it public. 1t served as a
bombshell The Philadelphia pol.
iticians Immediately realized its
significance. They saw it would
take the police out of their control.
Trouble for Mayer
They saw also that the magis-
trates would be less Of an obstacle
to law enforcement. Under the law
the police had to take persons ar
rested before the magistrate of the
district. Some Of the new districts
would have two or three magistrates.
SO, we could select the magistrate
least hostile and least under the
control of the local leader. Using
this dog-eat-dog policy we would OBJ
tain warrants otherwise impossible.
Let us say Boss Ware and Council
SoANCill IIetll were dI OulS, us llley
were. Each controlled a magistrate
in the same district. Halls magis-
trate would issue warrants for a
place controlled by Ware friends
and vice versa.
The politicians growled and grum-
bled. Knowing it was futile to
grumble to me. they turned on the
mayor and made his life miserable.
In droves they fiocked to his office
and insisted that he call me off.
They harassed him almost to death.
Bill Ware raised a terrible racket.
Charley Hall did likewise. Every
ward leader who was to lose a po-
lice station" demanded that the
mayor stop the scheme or dismiss
me. They brought huge delegations
Of citizens to protest, but 1 con-
WINGED the delegations that the move
was a proper one.
The mayor was in predicament.
He didn't want to offend the poll
ticians, he wanted their good will,
for he had his eyes on the Governor
ship. What was he to do?
Copyright, 1926, by the Bell Syn
dictate, Inc)
Tomorrow General Butler will tell
of the first seriously strained rela-
tons between the mayor and him
SELF