Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-27
BAIL PLAN URGED
TO RELIEVE COURT
Traffic Offenders Would Be
Released on Depositing
Cash Under Proposal.

Adoption of a modified form Of coll
lateral forfeiture system for the dis
position Of minor traffic cases which
would not require the attendance of
offenders or policemen at Police Court
was recommended by the Federal Blu
reau Of Efficiency in report received
today by the District Commissioners.
The report was referred to Gus A.
Schuldt, presiding judge of the court.
The plan was worked out by eff
cheney experts in conjunction with
the judges Of the Police Court and
its adoption, the bureau declared, viii
reduce materially the existing con-
gestion and confusion in the court
and simultaneously save the time of
prosecuting officers and policemen.
System of Fines Planned.
Briefly the plan sets up a. schedule
of fines such las are now imposed tor
minor offenses, these fines serving as
a basis for uniformity in the amount
of collateral eXacted from Offenders,
ami proposes the following procedure:
The complaining officer shall serve
the offender with a notice of the vlo-
i
designated precinct station. Before
going off duty the officer shall swear
out a complaint of violation detailing
the facts of the offense and inclose
the same to the prosecuting attorney.
The prosecuting attorney shall then
prepare an information on the basis
of the affidavit and file it with the
clerk of. the court.
When the offender appears at the
precinct station the clerk would re-
quire collateral deposit. according to
the schedule of fines customarily i'm
posed by. the court for the particular
offense. The offender would be advised
that if he does not appear in court the
deposit will be forfeited, but that he
has the option of going into court If
he desires a hearing. In cases where
hearings are demanded, which the bu-
reau declares past experience lnd1-
Gates will be few in number, the prose
cutting attorney will see that the COM
planning officer and other witnesses
are served a notice to be present. II
ian offender fails to deposit collateral
and does not appear in court a bench
warrant will be issued. and the court
will be in position to deal with him
as it sees fit.
Differs Merely in. Form.
! The plan, according to the bureau,
will necessitate the appointment or
one or more officers at each precinct
station as notaries public to witness
statements Of arresting officers.
While the plan suggested by the
bureau is departure from the eX-
listing practice in form it is not in sub
stance, according. to the bureau.
IAN extension Of the collateral sys-
tenn so that it can be operated with
greater elasticity in. the case Of minor
traffic regulations is urgently needed
to relieve the pressure of work in
court" said the bureaus report. The
burden of the court in enforcing the
provisions of the traffic act is indi-
Gated in the number of informations
charging traffic offenses docketed
since the passage of the act.
ION May 2, 1927, accommittee ap-
pointed by the Commissioners and
consisting of an assistant corporation
counsel and superintendent of police
and the acting director Of traffic sub
mitted a report presenting their find
ings and conclusions as to the
Ipropiety of establishing as"collateral
forfeiture system for minor cases of
Iinfractions of the traffic regulations.
They concluded that the Commission
ers are without authority to arrange
for the forfeitures of collateral by the
way of punishment, holding that every
offender is entitled to trial, should
he so elect; that forfeiture of col
lateral can only be declared by the
court and that the amount or col
lateral should be left to the discretion
Of the police precinct commanders, In
no case, however, to be fixed in an
amount less than the minimum fine
which could be imposed upon convic-
ton TO rthe offense charged.
Would Improve Conditions.
"we. believe that. with the assist
ance of the judges of the Police Court
and without any change in existing
law. a decided Improvement in present
conditions and more effective enforce
ment of the law and regulations can
be accomplished by changing the pro-
cedure for handling minor traffic viola
tons"
Attached to the report was sched-
ule of minimum fines usually imposed
by the judges of the Police Court for
certain traffic violations when no
unusual circumstances are present.
This schedule contains offenses
which are self-identifying and its pur-
pose, the bureau said, is to furnish
information to the precinct officers for
their guidance in fixing the amount
Of collateral in such cases when there
are no unusual circumstances con-
neeted with the violation to warrant
a departure therefrom and to cause
the collateral deposit as far as possible
in each case to be the same amount
that the court would fix as fine
after conviction.
Herbert D. Brown, chief of the Blu
reau of Efficiency. in transmitting the
report to the Commissioners pointed
out that the salient feature of the
plan makes it possible for complain
ing officers to swear to complaints in
minor cases without proceeding per.
sonally to court or the office of the
corporation counsel with the result
that there will be great saving of
official time now lost by complaining
officers when they are badly needed
for Official duties. The changes sug-
gested he explained can be made eff
fective without any modification in
existing law. .