Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-09
LAX NFORCEMENT
BLAMEDON AGENTS
Mrs. WiIIebrandt Advocates
Training System for
Dry Officers.
Continued From First Page.)

Outrages against law-abiding citizens
which have inflamed the public mind
and done more harm to orderly en-
forcement than anything else, In most
instances, believe, have been the re-
suit of lack of intelligence, or lack OF
training, rather than any criminal in
tent on the part of the agents.
It is unfair to the agent himself to
take a young, impulsive fellow and give
him a gun, saying, Nov bring us in
bootleggers." I well remember the
pitiful fright of a 22-year-old youth
who was sent on his first case with some
older agents to bad spot on the water
front. They attempted to arrest some
foreigners who threatened them. Inc
youthful agent was terrified. He began
shooting wildly. An italian bystander
was wounded. The agent was arrested.
He and his mother came to my once
begging the protection of the Federal
Government. He was wrong. 1 couldn't
legally defend his official conduct. But
who was to blame-that poor, frightened
22-year -old boy, with his life ruined
facing a trial for assault with intent to
kill in a hostile State-or the politically
strangled higher-ups who turned him
loose with no preparation except a gun
he didn't know when nor how to use?
The first civil service wedding result
ed in retaining far more well meaning
but dumb" men than those who were
actually corrupt. The force has always
needed. and still needs. systematic and
extended training on such subjects as
how to legally gather sufficient evidence,
when papers can be seized when a de-
PENDANT should be put under arrest,
what facts justify the issuance of a
search warrant, and under what cir
cumstances an agent Is justified in
shooting. There are, Of course, many
other subjects on which instructions
should be given before a prohibition
agent is allowed to exercise authority.
Plan Finally Died.
I worked hopefully with the training
school plan for months, but eventually
1t died in the mire of interdepart-
mental differences of opinion, division
of authority and responsibility. and po-
litical interference with policies. The
net results were just newspaper head
lines that all prohibition directors would
call in agents and give them four days
training! In the last year some steps
have been taken to train special agents
who work under the Assistant Prohibi-
ton Administrator Oftedal but that has
not been extended to enough of the
force to say yet that agents receive any
real training such as Is given in other
intelligence unit of the Treasury, in
spectors of the Post Office Department,
and Bureau of Investigation men of the
Department of Justice.
To place on the rank and file OF
prohibition agents all the blame for
past and present unsatisfactory condi-
lions would be wrong. The responsible
itv must be placed where it belongs
higher up.
1t will take many day for law en-
forcement to recover from the setback
1t suffered from Gen. Lincoln C. An
drews. I recognize that many people
believe Gen. Andrews to have been a
martyr to the prohibition cause. He
multiplied publicity; he created a pub
lie psychology In his own favor; but
shortly after his appointment as Gen
eralissimo Of Prohibition" as he styled
himself. he began to put in Office men
who were temperamentally and in
every other way untitled for the task
to which he assigned them. Two of his
most notorious appointments were Ros-
coe Harper, later tried for conspiracy
to issue illegal alcohol permits at Buff
falo, and Frank Hale. To the latter
Gen. Andrews gave unlimited control
OF the alcohol output in the whole New
York territory. Hale had been in the
service before and had been suspended
~ I11C SOlHIlLoSlOIlSI VI 1uUSIIldl fLtVe-
nue. after had stated on four different
occasions that I would not direct any
United States attorney to conduct a
prosecution on evidence he gathered,
because Of his unreliability. This opin-
ion was based on facts reported from
our field officers now part of official
files, and later given to senatorial
committee.
Hale Called "Sojer."
Soon after Gen. Andrews assumed
office in the Treasury Department, j. n.
Chamberlain Of Atlantic City, his close
personal friend, took an unusual inter-
est in the difficult district of New Jer-
Sey. Chamberlain wrote Gen. Andrews
to appoint Hale, because, he said, Hale
IS agood 'Sojer,' huff said" CHAMBERLAIN
died suddenly. In the process of the
administration of his estate his safety
deposit box was found to contain huge
sums in cash. Its source has never
been traced.
Another one of Gen. Andrews grand
f1ourishing appointees who left d de-
vaStating trail on prohibition enforce
ment is Maj. Walton Green. Mai
Green was made chief investigating Of
f1cer, though his past record had been
on9- of opposition to prohibition. The
fact Is that Maj. Green was a writer
and not an enforcement officer. AS an
enforcement executive he was sartorial
perfection! He s.Rnt much time in as
Sembling material which he carried out
of Office with him and which has been
used in preparing articles of profit
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