Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-20
HART WILL GUARD
USE OF |NFORMERS
|NDRYLAW TRIALS
Prosecutor to Require That
"StooI Pigeons" Be Closely
Covered" by Police.
WOULD LIMIT ACTIVITIES
ONLY TO NUISANCE CASES
Policies Announced to Expedite
Matters and Avoid Courts
Being 0vercrowded.

The testimony of prohibition inform
ers will be used in Police Court liquor
cases only when it can be definitely
shown that the informerS have been
thoroughly covered" by police while
amassing evidence for presentation in
the cases, Assistant United States At
torney David A. Hart announced today.
Prosecutor Hart said that police have
been given strict orders to search liquor
informers thoroughly at police precincts
before they are dispatched to work
up a liquor case. He said that they
will be given marked money with which
to make buy" and will be closely
followed by the police to the speak
easy" The prosecutor said that after
the buy" is made the informers will
be researched He pointed out that this
action obviates all possibility of the in
former framing" the suspect and thus
making invalid his testimony in court
InformerS can be used only in NUS
ance" cases. Hart pointed out, since
evidence of a sale cannot be presented
in q possession case. Cases involving
sale are not tried before Police Court
judge Hart also announced that in
the future he will make every effort to
press nuisance charges in cases where
It appears that such charges can be
substantiated, since evidence which
would be invalid in simple possession
case can be introduced in a trial on
nuisance charge.
Is Blanket" Charge.
The charge of maintaining a nui-
sance, the prosecutor declared. is
violations, sales, giving away of liquor,
possession, manufacture, and in short,
any breach of the liquor law.
Hart declared that his use of an
informer, Joseph Burke, in tn trial Of
Ernest Mccall Jeffries yesterday. is not
to be taken to indicate that he will in
discriminatory use special informers or
stool pigeons" in liquor cases. He will
continue his policy of using such EVIL
dence only when it is essential in 'the
case and when the informer Is
covered" by the police.
Burke's testimony yesterday resulted
in the conviction of JeffrieS on charge
of maintaining nuisance and also on
a second possession count He will be
sentenced In Police Court Saturday.
Prosecutor Hart said today that his
suggestion for nominal bond for liquor
law yiclatefs was only a REPETITION of a
former suggestion he made two months
ago. Hart said he suggested police ac-
cept only nominal bond, leaving the
ultimate bond for action of the United
States Attorneys Office, Police Court
Judges and the United States commits
sioner. Hart said that there would be
no difficulty If police did accept only
nominal bond when they did arrest
persons on liquor charges. He said that
II q decision to hold the defendant
under higher bond was reached when
the case came before his Office, higher
bond could be asked.
Won't Discuss Bondsmen.
Hart declined to discuss whether or
not he believed illegal raids were
prompted because raiders and the pro-
fessionaI bondsmen were working to-
gether.
Prosecutor Hart said he wished to
make 1t clear that there was no friction
between his Office and the Police De-
partment.
IT am just trying to expidite matters
IN liquor-law cases as means Of saw
ing lost motion and energy" he said.
Il do not intend to overcrowd the
Police Court docket by giving credance
to cases where there is insufficient EVIL
dence OF where raids on suspected
speakeasies were made without war
rant"
Hart said that police should be care
fully advised as to when it is legal to
enter suspected speakeasy and when
1t is not.
Fewer But Better Cases"
Mr.. Hart said today that his main OBJ
ject in refusing to issue papers against
IL liquor law violators Monday was to
obtain fewer but better cases"
The prosecutor in charge of prohi-
bition enforcement at Police Court said
that 1t was his opinion that the con-
viction Of one notorious bootlegger
would tend to stem the liquor traffic
here even more so than flning lat least
O dozen" OF the smaller offenders.
Attorney Hart attributed the recent
epidemic of warrantless raids TO over
zealousness on the part of police officers.
1T is not ineff1ciency on the part of
the police when they present cases to
the court without insufficient evidence
and when they try to make raids with
out warrants" the prosecutor said, lit
is undoubtedly because they are over
jealous"
Hart said the police are improving in
making out liquor cases and are exer-
cising more care to be assured their
cases are legal before presenting them
to the court.