Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-25

neeQ OF men ana There WdS lIIpclSCPUA-
bly, lessening of vigilance In the ex-
aiming and passing OF fresh appll-
cants for the police force. This was
mostly curing the time when the Police
.)ena rtment. in comparison with other
positions, was in point of hours, pay and
other considerations somewhat inferior,
but now that Congress has been so gen.
erous with the local Police Department,
raising our pay. shorter working hours,
more DAYS off, free uniforms and equip
ment. and many other Improvements
over the old regime, this laXity in the
seeking of new officers is not by any
means necessary.
Nv '-~~.o emu ted tW, very def
mite end undoubted evils which confront
the present head of the local police
force. So, let us see what he has rec
commended should be done about these
two very specific so-calied evils. many
months ago. Mai. Hesse from the &C
clmulated wisdom and experience OF his
score and ten and over years in the serv-
ice of the Police Department, made the
following recommendations in regard to
the aforementioned evils.
Would Dust Offenders.
Taking up the first one, he said ap-
that a man who has been convicted on
numerous occasions of petty derelictlons
of the Police Departments rules ana
regulations, sometimes referred to as
violations of the manual. that such
man has shown that he is fitted neither
mentally nor morally for the proper
pursuance Of his duty as good police
man. The unacceptable theory is that
if he has been detected in such num-
Der of small violations, then the Suppo-
sition must be that he has committed
many others, in view of the natural
law of averages, in which he has never
been detected. No successful civilian
concern would continue a man in any
If he displayed a like charac-
ter. So my recommendation Is that
man be dropped when he has reached
such footing. In view OF the many
there are no reasonable grounds for us
to continue such men in the employ
of the Police Department, and /
further recommend and implore your
most earnest consideration to the fol-
lowing recommendation, which Is, to
wit, that to my mind there is entirely
too much leniency shown men who
have committed crimes against the
Commonwealth and the rules of the
Police Department. I am firmly con-
WINGED that when man is convicted
of such an offense as drunkenness on
duty, maltreatment of prisoners-to wit,
brutally beating them without justi-
fable cauSe-and the telling of mali
cious falSehoods designed to injure some
person or persons. that it should be
that such men be dismissed
upon conviction of the aforementioned
crimes. What reasonable person, what
good citizen. what man OF any sort
or walk in life or organization Of men
could warrant or approve of man
guilty of one Of these OffenSeS being
maintained as a policeman? If dis
missal is made mandatory upon con-
viction of such offenses, I earnestly be-
lisve that it would go far toward re-
policemen who are already
in the employ of the Government from
outrages upon the citi-
Outrages Of Police.
Now the writer would like to pause
here and cite few actual instances Of
where policemen were convicted of such
offenses and retained as policemen. Not
long ago in Police Court, believe, Judge
Mattingly observed that priS-
oner seemed to be in pain and appar-
emily suffering from head wounds and
that his lips were swollen enormously
and he seemed to have difficulty in re-
plying to the judge, so the judge asked
this man what was the matter. The
prisoner seemed to be little more In
telligent than the ordinary Monday
offender, and he replied thuSly:
Your honor, if I speak with effort,
please forgive me, because the police
man who arrested me last night beat
me over the head and knocked out ell
my front teeth" and when the judge
asked him why all of this had taken
place. he replied: Your honor, as God
is my judge, know of no reason"
Judge Mattingly recon-
mended that the policeman be tried
and the trial board listening to the
evidence came to the conclusion that
the policeman was guilty as judged and
fined him a certain sum of money.
I wish to give 1t as my personal opln-
ion for whatever 1t might be worth
that it is high time something was
done about instantly dismissing man
who is found guilty of such an act as
that, without justifiable cause. TO cite
still another instance: Not long ago III
the Southwest section of our city two
policemen went into a mans front
yard, who was sitting in chair peace
fully, conducting himself, as 1t was
afterward proven, as good citizen, and
these two men, according to the evil
dence, set upon this man and beat him
severely, necessitating his being In
for considerable length of
time. These men were subsequently
tried and convicted of entering that