Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-30

Continued From First Page)
would not tolerate it under any con-
dition. Asked why Mai. Pratt failed
to impress his views on the members
Of the force, Gen. Crosby said:
One Of the hardest things for a
commanding officer to do is to get his
ideas down to all the men under him.
had hoped that Maj. Pratt would be
able to do that when the inspection
districts were created, because it is
easier to talk to 3 men than 49,"
Until the recent reorganization of the
Police Department there were Is cap
tains in command of the precincts
Now there are three inspectors in
charge of three inspection districts in
which the precincts have been grouped.
Gen. Crosby also announced he
heartily approved the steps taken by
Commissioner Reichelderfer during his
absence to have the Department of
Justice make an impartial investiga-
ton of the brutality charges.
Some thought was given during the
conference to proposal for reorganiz-
ing the Police Trial Board because Of
complaints that the existing system of
policemen trying policemen for breaches
Of discipline had resulted in the white
washing" of too many cases. A dis
ciplinary board Of civilians. selected as
members Of jury, was suggested, but
Gen. Crosby expressed the belief that
such a plan would not work out salts
factorily. He thinks policemen should
try policemen, just as ARMY officers en-
force discipline in the Army.
Gives Third Degree Views.
Shortly before his conference with Dr.
Reichelderfer, Maj. Pratt and Mr.. Bride,
Gen. Crosby gave long interview to
newspaper men In which he developed
his views on third-degree practice quite
extensively
The third degree, he said. is a blemish
which can be removed from a police
department by proper discipline.
Whenever we have a policeman go
ing around the city and acting as if he
is the Police Department and not re-
sponSible to sergeant or captain or
any one else, We have trouble. There
are such men in the department. al
though I am frank to say that until
the present charges were made I did
not know that there was an eStab-
hshed third-degree practice in the de-
partment. This does not mean that
am prejudging the case, but I know
that there are some members Of the
force who are not disciplined
IF every time one of them acts as
if he believes he is the department he
were brought promptly before the Trial
Board that would greatly improve the
discipline. I believe the discipline in
the force has improved in the past
year. I do not believe that we can
improve it now by any sudden radical
upheaval An organization grows by
traditions, and the traditions are very
hard to get rio of An organization
may be broken down, but it is very
hard to build it back up into some
thing worthwhile in a short time.
Cites Army Experience.
Il am speaking from my experience
in the Army. Fifty years ago in the
Army it was accepted as a regular part
of the scheme of things that unruly
prisoners would be strung up by the
thumbs or spread-eagled, and any one
who suggested the change was solemnly
told that it was impossible to discipline
an army without these things.
Nowadays we never hear Of such
punishmentS, for they were eliminated
gradually and without any sudden up
heaval
Il believe that the force should dis
cipllne itself. do not believe as a
regular thing in setting up a trial
board composed of persons not mem
bers of the department. If our Army
court martials were headed by Navy
men, do not believe that would make
for good discipline in the Army
II do believe that in cases where
charge is made against an officer by
citizen the citizens often refuse to tes-
tify against him, and that this hampers
the work Of disciplining the depart
ment.
II think that the department suffers
during a long investigation and hope
that this one viii be over as quickly
as possible.
Il am in complete accord with every
thing that has been done up to date"