Evening star., 1935-05-02
The Crime Report.

Crime Committee Tor statutory ana
other improvements, such as the Gre
alton of a permanent crime commits
sion, designed to increase the effective
ness of law enforcement in the
District, there will be prompt and
ready agreement. The committee has
rendered helpful service in pointing
out weaknesses of laws and deflcien-
cies in equipment in the District, a
service that will be immeasurably
increased by placing the proposed
remedies into legislative form and
vigorously pushing for their adoption
at this session of Congress. Ger
tainly the dark picture of crime ridden
Washington. as statistically painted
in the committees report, permits of
no other course by the legislators
exclusively charged under the Consti-
tuition with government of the Ameri-
can Capital.
With other recommendations-those,
specifically, asking immediate removal
of United States Attorney Garnett and
for the retirement of police officers
above the rank of captain who are
past the age of sixty, and replacement
of the superintendent of police by
some one not now a member of the
force-there will be less inclination
to agree. And those to whom such
recommendation are addressed will
naturally insist upon more convinc-
ing demonstration of alleged derelic-
tions by official personnel than is
contained in the committee report.
The report accuses Mr.. Garnett of
incompetence. indifference to official
responsibility and ignorance of the
Law. His competence might be de-
termined in part by his record as pros
ecutor, and the committee gives such
q record in statistical summary and
comment. But the statistics and their
Interpretation by the committee re-
port are on their face contradictory
to those contained in records SUBJ
mitted to the committee through Chief
Justice Wheat from the chief clerk
of the Supreme Court of the District.
The committee report makes no ref
erence-to these data, which indicate
that Mr. Garnetts record is unusually
good AS for the prosecutors pro-
fessed ignorance of certain statutes
and procedure in local courts, less
candid witness in less hostile at
rnosphere might have acquitted him.
self to better advantage. Certainly
the seriousness of the blanket indict-
ment of Mr.. Garnett in the report re-
quires an investigation by the Attor-
ney General which will determine the
proper significance to be placed upon
statistical records and candid ad-
missions Of ignorance of sections of
the code.
While the committees retirement
edict would Immediately affect Mai
Brown. Inspector Bean and Inspector
Headley, the report discriminates as
to offenses laid to these officers. Maj.
Brown-who has strong community
support-and Inspector Bean, by infer
ence, have merely grown old, tired
and exhausted in the service. In
Spector Headley is censured for his
part in the "gentlemen's agreement"
although other gentlemanly par
ticipants in that agreement are not
even mentioned. But the report finds
the Police Department is suffering not
only from lack of morale. but from
breakdown of discipline, predicated
upon widespread lack of respect for
superior officers" and this condition.
in turn. the committee apparently be-
lieves, would be remedied by the re-
tirement of the three officers.
The committee, after its lengthy in
vestigation, should know better than
anybody else that the Washington
Police Department is and can be made
just about what Congress wants it to
be- 1t can be cut to the bone, denied
adequate personnel and equipment
and even the proper amendment of
laws under which it must fight new
forms of old rackets; bsdgered by
agreements, gentlemanly or other
wise; periodically attacked and praised,
subjected to various forms of polit-
ical pressure and forced to live in
daily expectation of the next big
"shake-up" that will chop off a few
heads and accomplish exactly nothing.
On the other hand, it can be de-
veloped into the finest force in the
country by the allowance of sufficient
funds for personnel and training and
BY the careful setting up of high
standards for entrance and promo
ton and the rigid elimination of all
forms of political interference.
So the advantages to be gained In
creating morale. esprit de corps and
discipline by forced retirement of the
higher police command to make way
for another Gen. Glassford experiment
leave the reader of the report skeptical
and very much in doubt.
That, apparently, is the attitude of
the full House District Committee,
which, instead of putting rubber
stamp approval on a report which 1t
had not had time fully to digest,
wisely laid it aside for the time being