Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-08
DETECTIVE SHIFTS
PLANNED BY BURKE
TO AID EFFICIENCY
New Homicide Squad Assign
ments May Be Made After
Careful Study.
PRATT WANTS CHANGES
OF JOBS PERIODICALLY
Flaherty Expected to Be Placed in
Command of Unit Of Own
Choosing.

Persistent rumors of an impending
reorganization of the personnel Of the
Headquarters Detective Bureau, were
. confirmed today by police officials who
indicated that some changes in assign
mcnts may be ordered in the near flu
ture
Inspector Frank S. w. Burke, who
succeeded Inspector William S. Shelby
as commander of the Detective Bureau
July !, is known to be making careful
study of the activities of the detective
force with view to increasing its eff
cheney and effectiveness. He has not
however, decided what changes should
be made.
Pratt Favors Changes.
Mai. Henry G.. Pratt, Superintendent
OF Police, is expected to approve any re-
alignment of duties that Inspector
Burke recommends. A former chief Of
detectives, Maj. Pratt is Immediately
familiar with the functions of the De-
tcctive Bureau, and believes that changes
In the assignments of the detectives peri
odically, is conducive to increased eff
cheney.
When Inspector Shelby took COM
mand of the Detective Bureau, nearly
three years ago. Maj. Pratt tcld him
he thought the detectives should be
shifted from one squad to another from
time to time in order TO acquaint them
with all phases of the activities of the
bureau And he told Inspector Burke
the same thing when he relieved Shelby
But Inspector Burke has been handi-
capped in making any immediate
changes because of his unfamiliarlty
with some of the men at the Detective
Bureau and their present assignments.
That is why he is making study
preparatory to carrying out Maj. Pratts
instructions.
May Change Homicide Squad.
The mcst coveted assignment in the
Detective Bureau is on the Homicide
squad. For this reason there is con-
slant effort on the part of some detec-
tives on other squads 10 be transferred
to homicide work And there IS a
rather strong likelihood that several of
them will have their wishes granted.
The makeup of the homicide squad
also is to be Inspector Burke's biggest
problem. The squad is now in COM
mand of Detective Sergt. John
Flaherty, who doesn't particularly like
the work, but doesn't complain. He's
of the type that works assiduously on
any kind of an assignment without a
grumble, and police officials are in
clined to put him on a squad OF his
own choosing if he wants to move.
Capt. Edward J. Kelly, now assistant
chief of detectives, formerly was head
of the homicide squad, and at that
time he had the rank of lieutenant.
There has been no indication that off,
Gals intend to adhere to the former
policy of giving the rank OF lieutenant
to the head OF this squad.
Fowler Rumors Spiked.
There had been reports that Lieut..
John Fowler, who was moved from the
tenth precinct to the Detective Bu-
reau July / would be placed in COM
mand of the homicide squad. But Mai.
Pratt promptly spiked these rumorS
BY putting Fowler in command of the
newly created Ballistics Bureau, and
announcing that he would devote his
full time to the development of this
unit.
There are five other special squads
at the Detective Bureau which may be
affected in the reorganization. These
include the check squad, the narcotic
squad, the clothing squad, the automo-
bile squad and the vice squad. Police
officials, however, have given assurance
that there will be no drastic shake-up
in any of the squads, and that any
changes that might be made will be
solely in the interest of increased eff
fectivepess and efficiency of the entire
Detective Bureau.