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

later article 10 mill present an oDpo-
site rotnt Of rieiC. Wh:ch, II is believed
l0il Gnswer the assertions here made
Prisoners have been beaten in Wash
ington police stations, and some police
men, talking of the record, won't
deny 1t.
These officers are opposed to brutality.
but they point out that the abolition
of the so-called third degree" Will raise
practical problems which merit the seri-
Gus consideration of the public.
Violence, or a threat OF violence. has
often been effectively used by the police
IN clearing up crimes of certain class.
Now, they ask, If the third degree
must go. what is going to take its place.
VIII fewer crimes be solved without
this weapon, and viii the number of Of
lenses committed increase?
How viii the police deal with the vio-
lent type of offender: the man of low
mentality who recognizes no law but
that of force?
Between Devil and Sea-"
The police, and especially the pre-
cinct detectives. are, as these officers see
it, between "the devil and the deem
blue sea-
Every day brings to the precinct de.
tecttve number Of petty crimes-smalI
robberies, hold-upS. buTglaries thefts.
assaults and an occasional murder. His
job IS to solve these crimes and appres
bend the criminal. The third de0rea
has helped him in the past. What, they
ask, is going to take its place In the
future?
The average detective in the precinct
they say, hasn't the training. the eouip.
ment, money or time to make detailed
investigation of every offense commit
ted. And, they point out, many of these
lesser crimes are just as difficult of
solution as the more sensational ones.
Yet these cases must be cleared I'D.
If precinct detective spends so much
time On one case that he falls behind
on the others. he is accomplishing but
one thing-his own demotion to foot
patrol duty.
The police would ike an answer to
their riddle.
That most commonly given Is
brains, place premium on brains in
stead of Drawn. Let the police use their
heads instead of their fstSl"
This, the police concede, sounds good
and is theoretically possible-if the tax
payer wants to dig deep enough into his
pocket.
Some officers believe that in certain
cases the third degree is justffable
because Of certain elements. such as
time, which are involved. They cite
this case:
A murder was committed in the
southwest section of the city in the
presence of several witnesses. These
witnesses knew the murderer and saw
him get into an automobile driven by
his brother and speed away. The police
finally apprehended the brother and
asked him where he had taken the
guilty man. He denied any knowledge
of the affair questioning was
unavailing his answer to everything
being-"I don't know thing about It."
Beating May Have Helped.
While this questioning was going on,
the murderer was conceivably getting
farther and farther away. A beating,
or the threat of beating, might have
drawn the truth from the recalcitrant
brother, the police say.
In a case of that character, they ask,
what does the public want. the third
degree or an uncaught murderer?
Some OF the officers also believe that
the use of violence by the police can
be justified in another circumstance.
According to them, there is an ele-
ment in the city which has no respect
for law and constituted authority as
such They regard the police as their
natural enemy and treat them accord
ingly. They respect his club but not
the social theory he represents.
How, it is asked, shall the police
deal with them? Frequently in the
past police officers have been beaten
while on duty among this element. In
some cases the offenders have been ar
rested and beaten in retaliation. It
is thought in some quarters the belief
that the police will give beating for
beating acts as a powerful deterrent
on this element.
The police officers who were willing
to admit and discuss the third degree
would be willing to see it go. Some of
them have never used it themselves,
but they believe it has had a practical
value. If they are to be deprived of
its use, they want a substitute weapon.
ie- -. Il.