Evening star., 1936-01-19
Baltimore Has Crime Gauge
In Justice Boards Reports
Any Slump in administration of Lac or
Any Increase of Violations Pointed
Out ImpersOnaIIy.


ONCE on budget and fixing the SAL
aries Of the States attorneys staff.
In the Fall OF 1884 Mr.. O'Conor be-
came the attorney general Of Mary
land and j. Bernard Wells, who had
been his deputy, succeeded him.
The old, confused ciphers which,
before 1923, covered the blackboard on
which the state Of the administration
Of criminal justice was supposed to
be revealed, figures which ran In every
direction and which neither a mathe-
matician nor a handwriting expert
could read. have been wiped OH the
board. They have been replaced with
figures In orderly array. They add up
and talk.
But the need Of some agency which
would be forever and at all times
measuring the crime In the community
and the extent to which the law fol-
lowed and punished the criminal was
felt.
Justice Body Il Organized.
A group Of business and professional
organizations formed the Criminal
Justice Commission and set it up with
budget of $4,000 with stan Of
eight. The budget has been reduced
to considerably less than half that
amount and the staff has been re-
duced to three. It Is a part'of Balti-
more's Community Fund. The first
move toward organizing it was made
in the Fall Of 1922. It actually began
to function in January. 1923. Its first
table OF crime is for 1924. its last full
year. 1884. The report for 1885 will
be printed soon.
James M. Hepbron. its director, who
is also the director of the Community
Fund, which. Of course. is the body
which includes charitable and social
agencies, was its assistant director for
two years and has been its director
for 10.
It is his name that represents the
Criminal Justice Commission. AL
though he has board, few Baltimore
ans know the names of those who
form it.
OF course, the work has not been
confined to this table Of crime, impor-
tant As that Is. Studies have been
made Of the professional bondsman, Of
probation, parole and a number Of
subjects related to crime. Mr.. Hep
bron is genuinely interested In the
prevention Of crime and the admins
tration Of the criminal law. Since he
became the director he has studied
prisons, police and courts in England
and In most of the countries Of Europe.
He has travelled much III this country.
He Is much in demand as q public
speaker and has come to be recognized
in Baltimore and elsewhere as an au-
thority on matters associated with
crime.
Organized Gangs Prevented.
Police Commissioner Charles D.
Gather. who became police commits
sioner of Baltimore in June, 1920. un.
der appointment by Gov. Albert c.
Ritchie, was just getting his plans for
recognizing the department started
when the Criminal Justice Commis-
sion was organized. He has cooper
ated with it throughout its career.
OF course crime has not been elimi-
mated. Hold-ups and murders and
burglaries and highway robberies have
occurred. as they shall probably con-
tinue to occur until the end Of time.
There are unsolved murders. But
there has been little or no evidence
of organized gangs working In Balti-
more for months and going unpun-
tshed.
II crime should get out Of hand,
II 1t should start to run away with
the police, there will be no argument
about the increase, no statements by
one ofdcial that it has increased. fol-
lowed by denials by another ofncial.
with the public totally ignorant as to
which u right and which Is wrong.
The needle Of the Criminal Justice
Commission will tell the tale with flg-
ures, and it will be the fault Of the
people Of Baltimore If the thing is not
brought to an abrupt halt.
Something Of what the commission
has done In the matter Of bail bonds,
probation and parole win be told In
another article