Evening star., 1928-12-13
D. c. HOUSE GROUP
PLANS STEP TO AID
PROHIBITION LAW
Propose Making Police More
Effective Against Sellers
of Liquor.
HESSE AND BURLINGAME
CALLED AS WITNESSES
Doran Says 5000 Washingtonians
Are Engaged in Illicit
Business.

The subcommittee of the House Dis
trict committee proposes to recommend
TO Congress the adoption of drastic
measures designed to give the Police
Department more potent and effective
weapons with which to enforce the
prohibition law.
The committees plans were disclosed
by Chairman Gibson at a public hear
ing today, called for the specific pur-
pose of surveying the liquor situation
in the District and discussing legisla-
ton needed to bring about more
stringent enforcement. Maj. Edwin
b. IIesse, superintendent of police;
Capt. Guy E. Buriingame OF Inc sec
ond precinct and Sergts. Letterman and
Little of the special liquor enforcement
squads. were called before the commit
tee as witnesses.
Representative Gilbert of Kentucky
| and Chairman Gibson were particularly
concerned with the liquor situation, the
! latter citing statement of Prohibition
Commissioner Doran that 5000 persons
III Washington are engaged in the
illicit liquor traffic.
1T is the opinion of this committee"
| declared Mr.. Gilbert, that 1000 or
| 5000 places to buy liquor are too many
This situation must be broken up. We
want the District of Columbia so that
when visitors come here they will be
| impressed that this is a law abiding
| and not laWleSS city. / am ashamed
! to go home and tell my constituents
! that the chief prohibition enforcement
/ officer of the United States had teSti-
| fled that 5000 persons here are en-
gagged in the liquor traffic
Our purpose is to cooperate with the
| Police Department to clean up these
| conditions. Certainly they are not what
the country expects of its Capital
Maj. HeSSe described in some detail
| the persistent activities of the Police
Department in enforcing the prohibition
| law III the face of numerous legal and
| technical obstacles. and pointed out
| that the entire force of 1850 members
only 38 of them are deputized as rev.
.enue agents and have authority to en-
force the Volstead act.
Hesse Cites Defects.
Mai. Hesse. as well as Capt. Burlin-
\ game. who followed him qll the wit
/ ness stand cited what they described as
/ defects in the existing enforcement
| laws. and declared with the proper au-
| thority the department could rid Wash
/ mgtOn OF its bootleggerS. Chairman
! Gibson asked the police superintendent
| for concrete suggestions for remedying
the situation, and he presented q few
I verbally. but was told TO put all of his
recommendations in a report for the
/ consideration of the committee
| Aside from clothing all members of
the Police Department with authority
| to make arrests for violation of the
prohibition law. both Maj. Hesse and
Capt Burlingame suggested that legis-
lation making it felony to purchase
liquor as we'll as to transport it would
be very effective. Mr.. Gilbert, how
ever. frowned on this proposal, ex-
pressing the belief that it would make
conviction more difficult
Maj. HeSse and Burlingame also rec
commended the tightening of the search
and seizure law. and authority to make
a search of place suspected of selling
liquor without the necessity of procur-
ing a search warrant.
In addition. the police superintendent
urged that the authority to issue search
warrants be placed in the hands Of
| persons who could be reached at AMI
hour of the day and night. The au'
thority to issue such warrants, he point
| ed out. now rests with the United State1
Commissioner. and it is difficult -
reach him at times. especially in T.
early hours of the morning when wai-
rant might be needed
Gibson and Gilbert both questioned
| Maj. HeSSe as to the cooperation he re-
ceived from the courts and the District
attorneys Office. and called his atten-
ton to an article III Sunday newspa-
per on the prohibition situation in
| Washington with illustrations of GER
tain sections where the captions declar-
ed liquor could be purchased Mai
HesSe was asked whether he had or
dered an investigation to determine the
accuracy of the article and he replied
trat the matter had been referred to the
district attorneys office.
Statistics Given.
Maj. Hesse read into the record sta
/ tiSticS showing the arrests made by the
/ police in the last five years for Vol
stead act and Sheppard law violations.
The total arrests for violation of the
/ VolStead act i'll the fiscal year ended
last June 80 were 6,l42, the largest in
the five-year period.
These figures show wholesale viola
tionS in the District commented Mr..
/ Gibson.
They also show the activities of the
police in enforcing the law" answered
Mai. HeSSe.
Gibson then referred to Doran's
| statement that there are 5000 Illicit
| liquor dealers in the District, but Mai
HeSse said he thought figure between
1000 and $500 would be more con-
servative.
In addition to the 38 men deputized
as revenue agents who have authority
to enforce the prohibition law. Maj.
HesSe explained that the Police Depart
ment has road squad" in charge of
Sergt. Little. and special flying squad
ron IN command of Sergt. Letterman
engaged in searching for liquor viola
tors, although these special groups do
Continued on Page 4. Column Sd