Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-26
Consolidation of Municipal
and Police Sections Favor
ed by City Heads.
ABOLITION OF NIGHT
SESSIONS SUGGESTED
Merger Recommended by Citizens
Committee-Traffic Branch
Plan in Doubt.

A new plan for relieving congestion
IN the Police Court by consolidating
it with the Municipal Court was ap-
proved by the District Commissioners
today and a bill providing for the
combination will be>s sent to Congress
within the next few days.
The merger of the two courts. was
recommended by a citizens com
mittee headed by Odell S. Smith.
which made a comprehensive study
of the problem of congestion in the.
Police Court, and was approved by the
Commissioners after careful considera-
ton. This committee also urged the
establishment of a traffic violations
bureau for handling minor traffic
cases. but the Commissioners have not
vet indicated their position in regard
to this plan.
The bill providing for consolidation
of the two courts was drafted by the
committee. Under it's terms the com
bined court would be known as the
Municipal Court and would have two
distinct branches, civil and criminal
The court would consist of the pres
ent judges of the Municipal and Police
continue to serve as such for the ur-
expired terms of their present com
missions. The jurisdiction and powers
vested in the two courts would be
vested in the new Municipal Court
Present Laws Would Apply.
The proposed criminal branch of the
Municipal Court would be governed
by the laws in force and which are
applicable to the Police Court All
jurors drawn under the authority
vested heretofore in both courts would
be qualified to serve in either branch
of the new Municipal Court.
The bill also provides for the alb
clifton of the Night Court of thePolice
Court, which the Commissioners have
been advised answers no real need,
by specificall providing that the Grim
inal branch of the new court shall
not be required to remain open from
3 am. to II pm. The measure. how
ever. would allow day sessions of the
criminal branch OF the court to ex-
tend into the night
The report of the citizens committee
pointed out that the congestion in the
Police Court is due largely TO two
factors: First, the great many petty
traffic cases which are now being con.
sidered. and the other. the inability OF
the court due to 'the avalanche of
business thrust upon it to promptly
dispatch its business, especially in the
matter of jury trials
I'VE believe the first factor will be
removed to great extent by the crea-
ton of a traffic violations bureau
similar to that operating i'm Chicago
and Detroit, which we commended in
our last report. the committee in
formed the Commissioners I'VE have
had further reports from these cities
and all speak we'll of the system as
operated there. The Observable in
dicate that the plan has the dual mer
of relieving the congestion in the court
and of keeping policemen on their
beats
1000 Cases Pending.
The second factor presents a more
serious problem. The Police Court now
has more than thousand untried jury
cases before it. The situation is be-
coming more acute as liquor and traf-
fic offenders, realizing the long delay
in reaching jury trial. are demanding
juries. The result has been to tempo
rarily delay the administration of JUS
tice. 1t is situation which needs inn
mediate attention and merits drastic
treatment.
I'VE have observed the work of the
Municipal Court. which with one
member, Judge Terrell, for years in
and with having its ranks
depleted from time to time by de
mands made upon it's personnel to
supply vacancies in the Police Court
and Juvenile Court. has kept up its
work in splendid shape. We are in
formed that rarely is a jury trial nc
held upon the day upon which it
set. 1t is obvious from this that to
the Municipal Court, an inferior court
like the Police Court can be of ma
terial assistance in the present need.
The salaries of the Police Court judges
and the judges of the Municipal Court
are the same. The presiding judge of
the Municipal Court alone draws
larger salary.
The plan has been suggested to
merge the Police Court and the NUM-
cipal Court under a single manage
ment to make the five Municipal
Court judges and the four Police
Court judges all available for work
heretofore done in either court. A
Court could be formed with
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