Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-16
RUSSELL RESIGNS
|. AS COMMISSIONER
. OF CHICAGO POLICE
Dawes Declines to Return
as Dictator in Cleanup
Campaign.
SIEGE is DENOTED
TO PARK CAPTAINCY
Demand That Thompson Quit May
Be Made as Probe of Lingle
Death Is Pushed.
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, June 16.-William F. Rus
sell today announced his resignation as
commissioner of police. Faced by severe
public criticism of his conduct of the
department and apparent failure of the
police to cope with the gang rule of
Chicago, the commissioner said he had
prepared statement offering his resig-
nation to the mayor.
Commissioner RuSsell's retirement
carried with it the demotion of John
Siege, chief of the detective bureau,
whom he assigned today to captaincy
of the Irving Park police district.
John H. Alcock, first deputy commits
sioner, was expected to take charge of
the department pending appointment
of new commissioner.
Retirement Is No Surprise.
Retirement of the police head came
as no surprise to the city, despite Rus
sells frequent assertion that he never
would quit under fire. Whether his
action came upon demand of Mayor
William Hale Thompson was not
known, for the mayor has maintained
silence through the week of public and
press attacks on gang activities that
followed the killing last Monday of a
Chicago Tribune reporter, Alfred (Jake)
Lingle.
Commissioner Russell was to appear
before the City Council police commit
tee this afternoon to report the results
of the seven-day roundup of hoodlums,
begun "a hours after Lingle's death.
Alderman Arthur F. Albert had an
furlough for both Russell and Siege to
permit some other commanders to clean
the city of gang domination and cor
ruptton within the department. Rus
sell said he would retain his place in
the police department with his civil
service rank as captain.
Admits Inability to Function.
In a statement to newspaper men, the
commissioner admitted he was no longer
able to function in his present capacity
and would step out rather than en-
barraSs any inveStigat ton of his depart
ment or the crime situation.
Imputing part Of the blame for the
crisis to lack of an adequate police force
and indirectly to Straitened municipal
finances. he asserted that general crime
conditions in Chicago were better than
in other American cities.
Col. Robert Isham Randolph, Asso-
citation of Commerce president, who had
called conference today of the execu-
tive committee of the association to
discuss the situation. when informed
of the shake-up commented: Unless
the successors of Russell and Siege are
given absolute authority to clean up
If
the removal of Russell and Siege is a
mere gesture"
Commissioner Russell a close friend
Of Lingle, amplifled his statement as
follows:
Deputy Siege (chief Of detectives) is
going to Irving Park Station so he will
not hamper any investigation either. I
have been working day and night since
I took this job. 1 will not step out of
the department, but will go back to my
civil service rank as captain and I'll
stay in the department as long as they
want me.
Says Swanson Is Hampered.
Swanson States attorney gave us
the best he could and had He tried
hard and is trying, but he is hampered,
too. They won't give him money to
hire the best attorneys.
Il have stood 100000 900 tons of
pressure and I've stood it manfully and
this is what l get. 1 am not making
any alibis, I'll put my record against
that of any other chief of police.
Il have met an insurmountable
obstacle. BY that, mean prohibition
and don't give damn who knows It.
The reason / am reSigning is to give
them all free hand and let them stick
their noses into it and find out what
they can"
His retirement from leadership today
was Commissioner Russell's first back
ward step in 80 years in the department.
A spectacular exploit (the capture of
ammunition" from a desperado in a
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