Evening star., 1935-02-01
D. c. 'SHAKE-DOWN'
PRACTICE CHARGED
IN CRIME INQUIRY
Liquor Dealers Suffering
Intimidation by Police,
DirkSen Asserts.
BLANT0N REITERATES
PROTECTION BELIEFS
Special House Committee Told
Civilian Board Vital
to Efficiency.

Representative Dirksen, Republican
of Illinois, told the House Special
Crime Investigating Committee today
he had received a report that some
Washington policemen are shaking
down" liquor dealers.
Dirksen's statement came shortly
after Representative Blanton, Demo-
crat of Texas, appeared before the
committee voluntarily and reiterated
his recent charge that some Of the
police officers are protecting gamblers.
Mai. Ernest w Brown. superin-
tendent of police, was on the witness
stand when DlrkSen. member OF the
committee, declared he had received
"a report or two" that some police are
shaking down" the liquor stores. He
explained information given him was
that the officers involved would send
a mature looking boy under 81 into a
liquor store to buy whisky and then
go in and make shake down" under
a threat of arrest.
Calls Liquor Law "Silly."
"Under this silly liquor law We
passed last year" Dirksen declared. 1T
is possible for a policeman to send
some one into a liquor store and then
90 in and make some sort of DEAL
He pointed out the appearance OF
the buyer was not a mitigating cir
cumstance. but that the dealers in
nocence or guilt is determined by the
actual age of the buyer.
Mai. Brown also was questioned
about the merits of Blanton's bill
providing for a civilian trial board
in the police department, but said
he had not reached a definite con-
clusion. He pointed out. however,
there are not enough trial board cases
to occupy the attention of full-time
civilian board, as Blanton proposes,
and he doubted whether a civilian
board could effectively discipline a
uniformed force.
Could Sift Bad" Officers.
Dirksen said the board could spend
some of its time making investigations
and sitting out the bad" officers Oh
the force.
Blanton appeared as voluntary
witness.
whenever you find open gambling
houses running day and night, week
after week and month after month,
Blanton declared. there's one OF two
things dead certain-either the cap
tain of the precinct or the patrolman
on the beat are crooked or they are
numbskullS and should be kicked OF
the force for inefficiency."
Blanton advocated enactment Of his
bill providing for civilian trial board
in the Police Department as the cure
for existing conditions. He declared
under the present set-up, with lnem-
bers of the force trying other officers,
the black sheep" cannot be removed
if they happen to be firmly intrenched.
In my Is years here he said, Il
have seen innocent men framed and
the guilty acquitted"
Blanton explained that majority
of the members of the force are high
| class men. There are, however. he
said, some off-color black sheep
among them. Whenever YOU have
crooks in the Police Department it
affects every man and demoralizeS the
| force However crooked man might
be, if he is well intrenched there isn't
any way on earth to get rid Of him
/ without a trial before a board COM
! posed of his fellow officers"
Cites Number of Cases.
Blanton cited a number Of sensa-
tional cases involving police officers in
the last 10 years.
You'll never get the crooks, of the
| force until you change the trial board.
If you pass my bill Maj. Brown will
give you the finest force in the world. -
When Blanton took the witness
stand, he objected to the presence of
photographers and they were elected.
| Then he insisted on the presence in
the committee room of Police Supt.
Brown, despite ruling of the COM
mittee that no other witness be al
lowed in the room. The committee,
at the suggestion of Representative
Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois, voted
to abandon temporarily the rule and
| Maj. Brown was permitted to hear
Blanton's testimony.
Representative Schultz, Democrat,
of Indiana, who is taking a leading
part in the investigation, objected TO
/ the modification of the rule.