Evening star., 1937-03-21
EXPERT THUGCATCHERS COMPRISE SPECIAL POLICE UNIT
Robbery Squad Sleuths
Usually Get Their Man
Nine Detectives, Familiar With "Ways That
Are Dark" Deal With Hoodlums Whose
Speciality Is the Rough, Tough and Nasty.

dllu llduuS elllplOyeu III GIlS Op8I-
alton of each They beat the crimi-
nails at their own game by their
shreWdness and familiarity with their
Vays and weaknesses.
so MUCH for the various types Of
law breaking of interest to the
robbery squad. The men in the squad
are all seasoned detectives, who have
been for years on the detective force
and have grown wise to the haunts,
the faces and the modes of operations
Of such criminals as work in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, 1t is this famili-
arity with the underworld Of the city
that makes their services of ines
tlmable value. Indeed, without the
knowledge garnered in years of
pounding beats or digging out lairs,
or ferreting out offenders in given
localities, it would be almost hope
less for the men charged with our
safety to operate with any degree of
success. Their experience is the
priceless asset of their calling, and
that is closely seconded by natural
aptitude and cleverness and their
contacts"
These latter are not contacts as
we know them-that is, they consti-
tute no relationship of which they
would be proud to boast, except in
the line Of duty. But they are in
valuable for the same reason that
1t takes y fox to catch fox" They
furnish the leads in many cases that
set the squad men on the trail OF the
offenders. And for this reason they
are assiduously cultivated and main
tanned. Not one man in the squad
knows the underworld contacts" of
any one of his colleagues. Yet each
man has his own.
There are today nine members of
the robbery squad, all detective SER
geants by title. They are the officer
in charge, Lawrence O'Dea, and Rob-
ert j. Barrett, William v. Christian.
Elmer Lewis, E. E. Thompson, j. J.
Tolson, H. w. Smith and D. D. Pitt
man OF these Pittman has been a
member for the least number of years.
and he can count nine years of service.
O'Dea has served 43 years; Barrett.
ID; Christian, l3; Lewis, is; Thomp-
son, II; Tolson, %; Smith, 35, and
John H. Fowler, who is lieutenant of
the Detective Bureau and ballistics
expert, IT,
1t is the duty of the squad ito in
vestigate all robbery and flimflam
complaints; to apprehend and prose-
cute the perpetrators of these Of
fenses." At the Detective Bureau
assignments are classified as "a" 81"
and &C" An "a" assignment covers
a major robbery crime, such as lar
ceny or housebreaking. A "B" as
signment covers investigation of mur-
der charges or serious assault cases.
&c" assignments cover inquiries or
requests for arrests coming from other
jurisdictions and run the gamut from
murder and larceny to forgery. In
the last fiscal year the robbery squad
investigated l,438 routine "a" as
signments, in addition to special detail
work, regular Office duty details and
special Investigations Moreover, the
average working day of squad mem
bers is Is hours. This is not a spe-
Gifted nor required period of labor,
but, in the words of one of the de-
tective sergeants, You just have to
be on hand. You got to make a show
ing and can't afford to slip up in any,
thing"
One detective sergeant turned to an
other and grinned, "It was his day off
yesterday and he was down here all
day"
Sure" agreed the other. "If I
thought hanging around would put
me on the track of hold-up I'd stay
all night"
That is the spirit of the squad.
Hours can mean absolutely nothing
to a man who is dealing with a social
menace that is ever-present and apt
to manifest itself at any hour of the
day or night. When the assignment
comes in the robbery squad must be
ready to get to work on it while it's
"hot." And no bloodhound was ever
more eager than they to be hitting the
trail.
Out of the 1,43s "a" assignments
investigated by these men last
year more than tWo-thirds were closed
and the squad members closed half Of
all cases cleared. In the fiscal year
1934-35 total of 1900 cases was re-
ported and assigned, and 592 of these,
or 49.3 per cent, were cleared. In
the year 1886, 1,438 cases were re-
ported, and 971, or 675 per cent, were
cleared.
Out of 1926 arrests made by the rob-
berry squad in the fiscal year recently
concluded, $50 resulted in convictions
in Police Court or in grand jury ac-
ton. Out of a total value of property
reported stolen during the same Pc
riod, amounting to s213,968.34, the
squad recovered a value of $75,871 96.
In the entire Detective Bureau, the
various squads, such as auto, jewelry
and clothing, bicycle and robbery, re-
ceived assignments that involved ST.
045,188 in lost and stolen property,
and of this amount their combined
efforts recovered $777 $50 of this total.
Commenting upon this remarkable
percentage Inspector Thompson at
tributed it to the "dogged persever-
ance, tenacity and ability and whole
hearted spirit Of cooperation demon
strated by the men in pursuit of their
duties"
There was an increase in assign
ments in the Detective Bureau in 1886
over 1885, according to the inspector,
which would indicate that there Is an
increase in crime or that more is
being reported. There were 1925
assignments in the entire bureau last
year, as against 18,526 in 1885, an in
crease Of 709. However, there was an
encouraging increase in the number
Of arrests made, for in 1885 there
were 4,15l arrests, as against 5,171
arrests in 1886. Calling attention to
the fact that this number represents
actual names on the books Of the
Detective Bureau for the periods indi-
Gated. INSPECTOR Thomson expressed