Evening star., 1933-08-07
BY REX COLLIER,

The appointment by President Roose-
welt Of his friend and cOnfldante, Ray
mond Moley. as adviser to the Depart
ment of Justice in the Governments
war on crime is believed to presage re-
lection of proposals for an American
Scotland Yard" in favor Of a co-Ordi-
mated organization of Federal and
State law enforcement agencies.
Agitation for a Scotland Yard system
of national police in this country was
revived recently by publication Of an
article by Louis McHenry Howe, secre-
tary to the President, advocating the
English police plan. Moley, however, Is
known to consider the plan impracti
cable for American purposes, and this
view Is said to be shared by Attorney
General Cummings and other authori-
ties.
Those who have studied Scotland
Yard point out that crime conditions
in England are vastly different from
those in the United States Murders
are so few that Scotland Yard has no
regular homicide squad Most of its
investigations have to do with burg
laries and lesser crimes II Scotland
yard suddenly were confronted with
crimes OF violence such as are. COM
mitted by American gangsters and gun
men It probably would be totally un-
prepared to cope with the problem,
students of the subject assert.
The Jurisdiction of Scotland Yard Is
greatly misunderstood in this country
because OF exaggeration of imaginative
noyelists and playwrights. it is pointed
out. AS a matter OF fact. Scotland
Yard Is concerned chiefly with crimes
in the city of London. Of which it is
technically the metropolitan police
force. It's main job Is the policing of
city Of 5000 900 people.
Can Only Cooperate.
Occasionally officers of Scotland
Yard, usually Of the &C. I. D." or GRIM
1nal intelligence department, are IN
vited" by police Of other cities or COM
munities to assist In solving some par
ticularly atrocious crime, such as q
murder or major robbery. The Yard
has no arbitrary authority In such
cases. its services being purely co-ope-
rative. A British writer, j. F. Moylan,
in his book Scotland Yard" says:
Two mistaken notions are current
with regard to the actual relations Of
Scotland Yard to the police of England
and Wales. One Is that Scotland Yard
has some sort Of general Jurisdiction in
police matters; the other that the
metropolitan police stand apart from
and above other forces. Both ideas
are erroneous. Scotland Yard does not
control and has no desire to impinge
IN any way upon the local independ-
ence or management of anv other
force"
Later in his book Moylan states:
IT must not be supposed that Scot
land Yard has q rowing commission
which enables its detectives to 20 here
there, and everywhere They can take
up provincial case only II asked to
90 SO by the local chief constable. The
cases IN which Scotland Yards assist
ance Is invoked by the provincial police
are usually murders. and have not re-
Gently averaged more than four or five
year. 1t Is only in detective stories
that an offcer from the Yard will be
found speeding to the scene of a coun-
try burglary or clearing up a country
house scandal
Want Fresh Clues.
Furthermore local police must call on
Scotland Yard for assistance within a
reasonable length of time after dis
covery OF the crime. The Yard does
not want crimes dumped in it's lap after
other police have meddled around with
clues. "''-'
Indications are that the administra
tloh board OF strategy" in the drive
on racketeers believes that the Govern
ment can accomplish more by a CO.
operative arrangement between Federal
ana State Investigators than by estab-
IlSnlng great national police force
which would reach into all the States
II Uncle Sam were to put on a police
badge and attempt to make ali the
country behave by Federal action he
would encounter all kinds Of objections
from States jealous of their rights"
The Department Of Justice has DEM
onserated that cooperative effort among
ponce OF the Nation Is feasible and ef-
fective. Solely through q voluntary CO.
operative arrangement the depart
ments Division of Investigation has
built up national identification bu-
reau With the largest collection of GRIM
mai nngerprlntS in the world. This
ldentlfcation service has served to Gre
ate spirit Of good will that should aid
materially in extending the co-opera
tive plan along lines to be worked out
by Prof. Moley. Joseph B. keenan,. spe-
cial assistant to the Attorney General
and j. Edgar Hoover, director of the
Investigation Division
In connection with suggestions for
Scotland Yard type of national police
force 1t Is OF interest to compare quail
ncatiOnS OF candidates for the Scotland
Yard police and for the Division of In
veStigation. Whereas police of Scotland