Evening star., 1927-03-31
COURT CONGESTION
RELIEF IS SOUGHT
Collateral System Proposed
After SchuIdt Complains
of Many Arrests.

With a view to relieving congestion
in Police Court, the District Commits
sioners have appointed a committee
to study the matter of establishing
system of collaterals for minor cases
of infractions Of the traffic and police
regulations to be on a scale OF first,
second and subsequent offenses,
whereby the commanding officer OF
each police precinct will be able to
require such collateral as punishment
for such minor offenses in lieu of q
security to enforce the appearance OF
the offender at the court.
The plan Is a substitute Tor the
traffic violations bureau proposed by
former Assistant Traffic Director l. y.
Moller and submitted to the last Con-
gress in the form of a bill. which was
not acted upon.
Too Many Arrests.
Action was taken by the Commits.
sioners following a complaint by Gus
A. Schuldt. presiding judge OF the
Police Court, that congestion in the
court is due partly to the fact that
too many arrests are made, an un-
warranted multiplicity OF charges is
placed against many defendants and
there is q lack Of system In liking
time at which arrested persons are
to appear for trial.
The committee is composed Of MaJ.
Edwin b. Hesse, superintendent OF
police; Rinsgold Hart, assistant cor
poration counsel, and NJ. o. Eldridge,
traffic director.
Cases of IntOxication.
For some months the judges Of
the Police Court have wrestled with
the proposition of relieving the con-
gestion in the court" Judge Schuldt
wrote the Commissioners, land we
believe the following constructive sug-
gestions, if put into operation by the
District authorities, will tend to
ameliorate some Of the conditions.
1--WE would respectfully call your at
tention to the matter of fixing col
lateral. In many cases involving
moral turpitude, such as larceny, de.
PENDANTS are permitted TO gain their
liberty by depositing anywhere from
IS to $25, whereas in cases OF intoxi-
cation, no matter how slight the de-
gree and Notwithstanding that. 1t is
the first offense, where the fine is
usually $40, there Is an arbitrary rule
that no less than $25 be deposited,
with the result that on many occa-
sions persons are confined In station
house cells for as long as a day ana
a half and are then herded in police
patrols and brought to court.
More Arrests Here.
May we inquire whether there is
any possible reason for the mainte.
nance Of such an arbitrary rule and,
il not, whether the Commissioners
deem It advisable to modify It?
"The fact that Washington, with
a population smaller than Baltimore,
Boston and similar cities. has larger
percentage of arrests is certainly
startling, because It IL inconceivable
that our citizens are nore lawless than
those Of other communities.
"Our dockets are clogged with thou
sands of small. insignificant cases,
which, It would seem, would be cured
by a warning to the citizens, as many
are no doubt unintentional.
=. Use Some Discretion.
Instead, the elaborate procedure is
gone through summoning these
defendants, making out fnformations,
arraigning them. hearing testimony.
occupying much valuable time OF
OTf1CGTS, pEObCCuIlIlS dSCASASS Oh0 thO
court, which would be spent upon
graver cases. 1t is our experience
that in other communities the officers
have some discretion AZ to the char
acter of the cases they bring into
court.
For some time system has arisen
among officers of multiplying cases.
Thus we often find that when a man
10 arrested for being drunk, there is
also generally a case Of disorderly
conduct filed against him. The same
procedure 10 often followed when the
defendant Is charged with driving
while Intoxicated.
Multiplying Charges.
1.-The main charge is filed and, as
corollary, reckless driving, disobedi-
ence of officers signal, failure to ex.
hibit operators permit and failure
TO have registration card, etc.
ut would seem that multiplication