Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-28
PRATT W|THDRAWS.
POLICE FROM PROBE.
Leaves Way Clear for De-
partment of Justice
Operatives.
Continued From First Page.)

! Continued From First Page.)
/ tactics and then sent the victims to the
hospital for mental observation.
The only case recalled by high Off
cial of the institution was more than a
| year ago when a patient complained
that a policeman had caught the pa
| tents hand in a door while closing it
and bruised it, This patient was an
| alcoholic and the hospital did not place
| great confidence in his words.
A patient at the hospital, Joseph Ed
ward Jaffee. received a beating at the
hospital itself last month. from one
! Of the orderlies but this Is the only
one Of such cases reported in the past
two years.
Only Used Necessary Force.
The statement Of Paul Henry of 800
Eighteenth street, published yesterday.
that his arm had been twisted by a
park policeman who arrested him. when
he was charged with taking a boat
from the Tidal Basin landing without
authority, drew from Capt r. c. Mont
gomery. superintendent Of the United
States Park Police, statement that his
investigation had established that the
officer used only the force necessary to
maintain the arrest. Capt. Montgom-
cry said that he saw Henry yesterday
at his place Of business and offered any
assistance in establishing an official
complaint against the officer. Henry,
the captain said, was not disposed to
press any charges against the park po-
lice, and up to this morning had failed
to avail himself of the superintendent
-offer.
Park police records show. the cap
tain said, that Henry was charged with
drunkenness, being disorderly and as
sault, after he was discovered at 2
o'clock in the morning of Sunday, Au-
gust 16, in the Tidal Basin in q boat
which he had taken without permission
Henry says that a Park policeman
twisted his arm, and that he was taken
to No. police precinct, where a Metro
politan police oficer maltreated him.
Capt. Montgomery's Statement.
Capt Montgomery's statement fol-
lows:
When a park policeman's name was
mentioned in conjunction with the
charges Of Henry I Immediately inter-
viewed Henry personally and called in
the officer, giving first-hand version of
the arrest. Henry declined, when ar
rested, to go to the patrol box. but
Ofhcer Raspberry used only the force
necessary to maintain the arrest.
i learned where Henry worked and
Immediately went to interview him.
He had no complaint against the park
police, except that his arm had been
twisted when he was taken to the
patrol box. gave him an opportunity
to make complaint, and even left my
telephone number, and waited in my
office last evening in case he should
decide TO press charge.
i am now convinced that Henry has
no ofhcial complaint to make against
the park police, and that only such
force as was necessary TO maintain the
arrest was used
All our prisoners are taken to the
precincts of the metropolitan force. as
we have no facilities for Imprisonment.
Tie training Of the men on the park
police, with reference to persons arrest
ed. is that they were to use no more
force than is necessary TO maintain the
arrest,
We feel that there is no brutality
on the part of the park police, as this
is against their line of training. We
have no use on the park police for cfI-
GERS who maltreat prisoners, mistreat
children. even abuse dumb animals.
Their mission is to make the parks a
pleasant place for the public.