Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-15
REPORT CR|T|C|zES
u. S. DRY AGENTS
Prohibition Officials Disagree
With Survey Made by
Board of Trade.

ofhcials of the Prohibition Bureau
pointed out today in reply to the report
of subcommittee of the Washington
Board of Trade to the National Crime
Commission, in which the Washington
police force was given a clean bill of
health on ''lawless practices in law
enforcement" and the Federal agents
were criticized
Pointing out that the Federal agents
here concentrated upon transportation
cases and that the vast mai @ity Of
raids and arrests under the liquor law
ARE made by Washington policemen en-
powered to act as prohibition agents,
but working under the authority of the
jofficials of the Police Department, the
Prohibition Bureau disclaimed all blame
Tor "lawlessneSs in law enforcement"
Dry Officials Disagree.
The Prohibition Bureau officials also
took the view that conditions as pic
tured in the Board of Trade report do
not reveal the situation today, some OF
the conclusions drawn in the report
being the result of conditions existing
as long as four years ago.
Prohibition officials admitted that
there nave been cases prepared by the
bureau in which the testimony of in
FORMERS or stool pigeons" has been
inadequate, but added that the practice
of using informers has been largely
dispensed with.
: Some informers are still used, the
bureau says, because, "if nobody tells
JUS about the activity of liquor ring or
a narcotic ring, or an alcohol ring, such
as the Federal men broke up last week,
how in the world are we going to find
out about it?"
Concentrate on Maryland.
The bureau said most of the work of
District prohibition agents is concen-
trated on the liquor trafiic in Southern
Maryland, which, 1t Is claimed, is the
center Of a large liqror making indus
try and the chief source of supply of
the District.
The bureau officials had no criticism
TO make of the liquor law enforcement
officers of the city Police Department.
It was emphasized, however, that any
criticism of dry law enforcement in the
Capital should be directed at the mon
who do the work, namely, the Wa
ington policemen, under orders FIR .
the heads of the Police Department,
who make the raids and arrest under
the dry law in the District.
1--WE work" an oflcial said, Gin CO.
operation with the Police Department
in a friendly and effective manner, but
the details of method and conduct In
doing their work are those Of the police
men, not the Prohibition Bureau"
Find d. C. Police BIameless.
The subcommittee finds the Washing
ton police practically without blame In
its investigation of third-degree prac-
tees. police brutalities and general
illegal enforcement of the law.
on the other hand, the prohibition
agents are accused of employing dis
reputable persons as stool pigeons"
some of them actually in Jail when cases
In which they were used are called; OF
making unlawful entry and seizure, and
Of making away with liquor seized as
evidence in cases which have been dis
missed and the liquor ordered returned.
"StoOI Pigeon" Use Charged.
The report declares:
'Since the enactment of the eight
zenith amendment certain lawlesS con-
duct of law enforcement officers OF the
Federal Government has prevailed in
this district. One of the most danger
Gus practices was the employment by
the Federal agents of disreputable per-
sons as stool pigeons and tnformers for
the making of cases. The condition
became so notorious that several of the
infornlers were indicted for perjury,
and In other instances cases were called
for trial and the informers were found
to be in JAIL having been convicted OF
other crimes. In some instances the
tnformers were men with criminal rec
ords, and many acQuittals were had
because of the fact that juries would
net believe their testimony. The con-
dition became so acute that the dis
trict attorneys office was forced to re-
fuse to prosecute any cases based upon
evidence Of these stool pigeons or In
formers.
I'm other cases the courts were com
PEELED to suppress the evidence because
of the unlawful entry and seizure by
Federal prohibition agents. In some
of these cases, when the evidence,
which consisted Of liquor, was ordered
returned by the Government to the
defendant, it was found that the pro-
.hibit1on otncerS were unable TO produce
it. it having disappeared wilhelm the
possession Of the Prohibition Depart
ment. Some of these practices have
been discontinued because of the posi-
ton which the United States attorney
was forced to take"
The subcommittee is q part of the
Public Order Committee Of the Board
of Trade, and is headed by John Lewis
Smith.
In passing upon the police and pro-
hibition agents, the report states:
Police Given Clean Slate.
investigations indicate that there
are no laWless practices peculiarly
prevalent in this locality, the metro
politan police force being particularly
free from such practices. Our police
force, as whole, Is composed Of men
of excellent character, diligent in the
performance of their duty. with a fine
sense Of their responsibility both to the
Government and the individual citizens.
There have been certain lawleSs prac-
tices Of law enforcement officers in this
district, but these have been by the
Federal enforcement agents and not by
the Police Department here"
The subcommittee, the report states
went deeply into the probe of third
degree methods here. The report de-
clareg:
1.-THE records of the Supreme Court
and the Court of Appeals have been
examined, and 1t appears that these
courts have been very careful to scru-
tinize confessions and to determine
before they are admitted in evidence
whether there had been any police
methods used. While in few isolated
cases the courts have held that the
confessions were involuntary, in prob
ably from 80 to 95 per cent Of the con-
LESSONS passed upon 1t was held they
were, in fact. freely and voluntarily
made. The three leading cases in this
Jurisdiction In which 1t has beer
necessary for the appellate court to
question the voluntariness Of the con.
fession are the cases Of West VS.. the
United States, 20 Appeals; Perrygo VS.
the United States, SIS Appeals, and War
VS.. the United States, 266 United States
Court Rejects Confessions.