Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-04
ROVER VIRTUALLY
PUTS END TO USE
OF PAID |NFORMERS
Opinion Holds Officers Should
Gather Possession-and-
Sale Evidence.
SEEN AS SERIOUS BLOW
TO Department BY PRATT
U. S. Attorney, However, Believes
Number of Liquor Case Acquit-
tails Would Be Decreased.

The Police Department will be forced
virtually to abandon the use of paid in
formers in gathering evidence against
bootleggers and "speakeasies" as a re-
suit of an opinion today by United
States Attorney Leo A. Rover
Holding that the only practical use
Of the paid informer Is to ferret out
places where liquor is unlawfully kept
or sold, Rover ruled that all evidence
of sale and possession should be OBJ
tanned through police officers and pro-
hibition agents. He predicted that If
such procedure is followed there will
be higher percentage of convictions
and corresponding decrease in the
number of liquor cases nolle pressed
and in the number of acquittals.
Rover's opinion was transmitted to
Maj. Henry G. Pratt, superintendent of
police, who looks upon it as a serious
blow in the departments effectiveness
In rounding up bootleggers and the
proprietors OF Washington's numerous
"speakeasies."
Used for Buys" in Past.
Maj. Pratt interpreted the opinion
to mean that the only purpose for
which paid informers can be used is
to locate places where liquor is solo
and report them to the Police Depart
ment. In the jast the informer has
been used principally to make buys"
in the "Speakeasies'' and swear to the
raiding warrants. Now, however, this
task will fall upon members Of the
police force or Federal prohibition Of
f1cers.
In the first place, Maj. Pratt said,
many of the establishments where
liquor is sold already are known to the
police, but the difficulty in closing them
has been the inability to procure SuF
cient evidence for the issuance Of
raiding warrant. In such cases t.fe
service of the paid informer, he said,
has been invaluable. Since many Of the
places where liquor is sold are known
| to the police and the Rover opinion
restricts the use of informers to tipping
of places only. the police superintendent
sees little value in his future service
to the department.
Opinion Based on Report.
There are a number of members Of
the force who could be used to make
buys" and do the work formerly done
by the informers in gathering evidence.
Mai Pratt explained, but their identity
sellers and their effectiveness thus be
reduced.
Rover's opinion was based on a report
of Capt. Fred M. Cornwell of the fourth
precinct, who complained that the Po-
lice Court refused to take action in three
recent liquor cases in which paid in
formers had been used to procure the
evidence on which raids were made
under his personal direction. The court
declined to act, it was said, on the
ground that the grand jury, in recent
report stated 1t would not indict in
liquor cases on information of paid po-
lice informantS.
Three Gases Are Cited.
In each of the three cases cited by
Capt. Cornwell the police raided the
establishments on warrants secured from
the United States commissioners Office
on the information of the informers.
In two of the places the informers, it
was said, were inside, with liquor in
their possession, when Capt Cornwell
and his men entered. and marked
money was found on the proprietors.
A search of these establishments also
revealed a quantity of liquor secretly
cached in various parts of the building,
it was claimed by Capt Cornwell. Yet
the Police Court, he said. would not
issue papers against the proprietors.
"The only practical use of the in
former IS to ferret out places where
liquor is unlawfully kept or sold" Row.
er'S opinion said Thus locating such
places, the actual evidence of sale and
possession should be obtained through
police officers and prohibition agents.
This will result in a higher percent
age of convictions and corresponding
decrease in the number of nolle presses
and acquittals."
Conference Arranged.
Obviously aroused by the opinion,
Mai. Pratt has arranged a conference
with Prohibition Commissioner Doran
for tomorrow for the purpose Of work
ing out a new plan that will be more
effective In procuring evidence against
the liquor establishments than the use
of paid informants.
The police superintendent, however.
declined to reveal the scheme he mas
in contemplation.
The grand jurys criticism OF the paid
informer. which is believed to have in
spired Rover's opinion, came as sequel
to several cases in which it was dis
covered the informers resorted to per-
jury. In spite of this. police officials
are of the opinion that the practice
should not be condemned and aban-
doned, pointing out that there are a
number of honest and truthful men
serving the Police Department as IN
formantS.