Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-05

authority in the District. making an
interstate body of IL men.
In proposing revision OF the meth
cd of selecting police captains. the
committee advised the Commissioners
to abolish the p1eseEt competitive
written examinations and that the
selection of lieutenants for promotion
be based on a merit system. similar
change was suggested by the House
Crime Committee and also by another
committee of District officials beaded
by Assistant Corporation Counsel Ed
ward w. Thomas. The Prettyman
committee proposed that In pi ONO
ton of lieutenants to captains the
candidates be rated 10 per cent for
efficiency and experience. 20 per cent
for practical written questions and 10
per cent for mental tests.
THE present method of $3.50 per-
centages interpoSeS too great obstacles
in the way of efficient officers with
limited education and gives a dispro-
pcrtionate premium to those with re-
cent school experience. the commit
tee said "A police captain should be
selected for his aggressiveneSs. his
ability to lead and control men, his
character and general police efficiency
of an outstanding sort. Examinations
do not reveal these traits. recorded
experience does In our view the cap
tains are the keys to police efficiency"
Changes for Privates Asked.
The committee also recommended
change in efficiency ratings for pri-
vate, saying that the opinion of the
sergeants should be given considerable
weight 1t recommended that all pri-
Yates be rated annually by their SER
geants and that such ratings be con-
firmed or revised. either upward or
downward. by the officer in charge of
given major weight by higher head
quarters when considering men for
promotion.
In recommending a Tightening up
OF paroles granted to prisoners, the
committee said the Parole Board
should give primary and major con-
sideration to the applicants criminal
record. IAN offender who has had
previous convictions owes debt to
society which should not be lightly
disregarded, the Commissioners were
told. Quoting Sanford Bates. head OF
the Federal Prisons Bureau. the COM
mittee said the Flaw of diminishing
confidence applies"
The body also said: AN habitual
criminal should forfeit his claim to
parole relief We deem this one OF
the most important phases of the
criminal situation both here and over
the country"
Further study was recommended OF
the proposal for decentralization OF
the Traffic Bureau. The committee
! made no recommendation as to q
change, saying the bureau must stand
or fall by its record of accomplish
, ment.
Tip-off Evidence Lacking.
The section of the report dealing
with the fifth precinct states: I'VE
found no evidence of tip-off on the
raid by fifth precinct officers at III
B street southeast. The evidence in
Dictated that the place had been used
as gambling joint, but that it hac
closed shortly after the Beard raic
late in 1884 and reopened imme-
diately after this raid in January
Five members of the Police Depart
ment inspected the premises at the
| time of the raid and all testified that
. dust covered the place, including the
hand rail on the inside stairs from
the second to the third floor"
Regarding Capt. Morgan's lecture tc
his men with reference to graft in thu
fifth precinct. the committee reported
I'VE examined a group of officer:
from that precinct, picking at ran
dom some who originally took offens'
at the remark and some who did not
Every one stated that the first dis