Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-18
ALLEN REQUESTS
He Be SUSPENDED
Letter to Maj. Hesse Calls
Attention to Charges as
Need of Probe.

Policeman Robert j. Allen, stormy
petrol of the Police Department, who
has drawn the censure of his superiors
for his criticisms of the department
today requested that he be suspended
from the force. His request for suspen-
sion, contained in a. letter to Maj Edwin
B. Hesse, superintendent of police. fol-
lowed an investigation launched Satur-
day by his superiors into the wounding
of colored man by Allen Friday night,
when the policeman shot at three fleeing
colored suspects in Northwest Wash
ington.
Aliens letter today to Maj. Hesse
follows:
Request for Suspension.
REQUEST that be Immediately sus-
pended from active duty pending out
come of the present serious charges that
are pending against me, involving the
wounding of one James Frazier. Rea-
sons for this request are as follows
THAT I feel that it is not conducive
to the best interests of the public to
have a man who has been charged and
is suspected of having shot a citizen
in cold blood and without sufficient
justification still performing active duty.
"It seems utterly incongruous to me
to allow or require policeman to per-
form such active duty, still in pos
session of his weapons and authority,
especially in view of the fact that he Is
charged and suspected of having mis-
used these very weapons and authority.
your attention is respectfully d.
rected to all of the circumstances sur
rounding these charges and to the re-
port and recommendations of Inspector
Louis j. Stoll, who claims to have in
vestigated the shooting and upon whose
recommendations you have ordered
charges against me involving unauthor-
lied use of my weapons.
"You are reminded that the incident
upon which the charges are based oc-
Cured at 11:06 pm, Friday. March Is,
1929, and that official report of the
same reached police headquarters at ap-
proximately $50 in the morning OF
March 16. The charges were imme-
diately prepared and were officially
brought against me within an hour
and a half after the report was re-
ceived. During this hour and half
after the report was received it is
claimed that Inspector Louis j. Stoll
was assigned to investigate the case
against me, that in this short space of
| time he did investigate the case against
me, rendered his written report to the
| major of the Police Department, who
/; upon due and deliberate consideration
of said report reached the decision that
in his opinion my use of my firearms
was unauthorized and unwarranted
that neither public life or property
was endangered at the time. and
that could readily have made the ar
rest without using the method that
did, and consequently I am required
to defend myself before the trial board
Of the Metropolitan Police Department
Duty of Investigation.
at is respectfully called to the ma
/ jor's attention that during the hour
| and one-half that expired from the time
| the report was received at headquarters
to the time the charges were brought ii
was the duty of Inspector Stoll in max
| ing this investigation to interview each
and every witness who could possibly
throw some light on the occurrence and
to clearly examine all of the facts OF
the shooting and to form his opinion
and render bis report from the results
Of said interview and examination. Ii
addition to the wounded man himself
there were number of other police Off
GERS in the immediate vicinity of thu
cICilC Va lilC cllOOLlilS anu oCfGl al Clll
zens, and close check-up on Inspec
tor Stoll's report shows clearly tina
none of these people were interviewed
personally by him or any one else dur
ing the conduct of his investigation.
is also pointed out that during the pas
| year at least four officers of the Met
ropolitan Police Department have beef
involved in shootings Of this nature ant
that in each case a thorough investiga
ton was conducted over a period Q
, some days before said officers wer
brought before the trial board o.
7 charges.
1T is well known at the majors offic
and by the general public the position
have always taken as a police office
toward unkind and abusive treatmen
toward such persons as are unfor
tunate enough to run afoul of the law
1t is my earnest desire to maintain
this position and to always deserve ant
a warrant the confidence the public ha
placed in me as an officer, and I fee
= now that this position is jeopardize
and the public's confidence shaken b
i the speed with which these charge
were brought against me, as / coul
l have readily shown to Inspector Sto
or any one else assigned to the in