Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-10-17
Herbert r. O'Conor
Leads In Crime
Warfare Proposals
Interstate Conference Approves
New Laws To Combat Grim
inals In This Country


to unite in the warfare against crime
were announced yesterday by Attor.
ney General Herbert R. O'Conor, upor
his return from Trenton, N. j., where
he presided over the Interstate Con.
ference on Crime, attended by repre-.
sentatives of forty States of the
Union.
The Conference, attended by Cover.
nor Herbert E. Lehman, of New York
and Governor Harold G. Hoffman, OF
New Jersey, reached it's climax Sat-
urday in nationwide radio broad
cast from the State House in Trenton
at which twenty-one of the Attorneys
General of the country publicly gave
approval to the aims of the confer
ence. Mr.. O'Conor acted as Chairman
of the proceedings, said to be the first
occasion in the history of the United
States when so many of the Attorneys
General were assembled together at a
conference.
AS result of the deliberations Of
the two day meeting, the following
subjects were approved by delegates
including members of the Maryland
Commission:
l. A compact or uniform law pro-
viding that witnesses IN criminal
cases will hereafter be required to
return to State, when their testi-
mony is required, in any proceeding
in which they are summoned as wit
nesses, definite provision is to be
made for protecting persons before
being required to leave their home
State as witnesses, by having Court
consider the demand of the State de-
string the return of the witnesses.
Witnesses are given immunity from
civil and criminal process when they
return to the State insisting upon
their appearance.
2. A compact in which two or
more States mutually agree to be
bound by definite rules and standards
/ in connection with the extradition of
persons indicted for crime.
4 8. A compact whereby two or
more States mutually agree to handle
jointly cases of persons on parole or
probation where the persons leave one
State and go to the other. The receiv-
ing State, under the proposal. will
assume the duty of supervision and
| visitation of PAROLES or practitioners
and is to be governed by the highest
standards of supervision for the re-
establishment of said PAROLES or pro-
bationers. Under the proposals it is
provided that when the State grant
ing the parole or probation deter
mines that the person has violated the
terms of parole, and undertakes to re-
turn the prisoner, the decision shall
be conclusive and not renewable in
the receiving State.
4. A uniform law to be adopted
by the States whereby persons in one
State who perform acts which take
effect in another State may be prose-
cuted in either of the Jurisdictions /;
and where two jurisdictions will be
given the right to handle any cases
wrehe the offenses are committed
so near the boundary lines as to
make it uncertain in which State the
offense was actually perpetrated.
8. That State bureaus of criminal
identification be established having
connections with the bureaus of other
States; that the States maintain units
Of criminal intelligence for detailed,
permanent and up-to-date records of
characteristics, operations, photos,
antecedents and other pertinent in
formation concerning criminals and
their associates. All of the above in
formation to be interchanged among
the States.
Already Indiana and Illinois have
entered into compact for the handl-
ing of persons on parole and proba-
ton. The compact, in the prepare
ton of which Attorney General o
Conor assisted, has received legisla-
tive approval as well as the sigma
lures of the Governors of both States
Attorney General O'Conor was form
ally presented with the proposal that
! Maryland enter into a similar com.
pact with the State of Indiana. The
proposal was presented to Maryland's
Attorney General by Philips Lutz, Jr.
the Attorney General of Indiana.
AS the result of the conference il
Trenton, it was voted that all of the
recommendations shall be submitted
at the next session of the Legislatures
in the forty-eight States for definite
action.
The selection Of Mr.. O'Conor a:
the presiding officer at the Trenton
conference was believed to be il
recognition of the fact that he was
the first official tn nuhliclv andoY-sf