Evening star., 1938-02-01
POLICE INTENSITY !
ACCIDENT PROBES
TO PLACE BLAME
Maj. Brown Issues Order for
Purpose of "Prosecution
in Court"
OUTSIDE SETTLEMENT
TO BE MORE DIFFICULT
-Four Persons Were Slightly In.
jured in Traffic Accidents
Last Night.

-Four persons were slightly injured
in traffic accidents here last night and
early today as police instituted q more
rigid system of investigating accidents
with view to fixing blame and pun
ishing the offenders.
Maj. Ernest w. Brown. superintend-
ent Of police, issued orders that all Of
ficers investigating trafic crashes In
the future make every effort to deter.
mine the cause and to fix the blame
or turn the case over to the corpora-
ton counsels Office. The police chief
said:
1T is the intention to investigate
all accidents for the purpose OF prose-
cutting in court the individual or in
diViduals responsible The fact that
drivers have settled damages between
themselves does not interest the Police
Department. We are interested in
seeing that the person responsible u
made to answer for his violation"
More Cases to Go to Court.
Enforcement officials said the re.
suit Of the order will be that q larger
number Of traffic cases will be taken
to Police Court. In the past q mo-
torist who had committed minor vio-
lations of the regulations could settle
out Of court with the driver whose car
he had damaged. Under the new
system this will be more difficult.
Maj. Brown warned his officers
against speeding to the scenes of acci-
dents and against parking police cars
where they are traffic hazards. He
urged particular care in the investi-
cation Of hit-and-run cases and laid
down rules Of procedure for inter.
rogating motorists and witnesses.
Officers assigned to traffic accident
investigation will travel in pairs and
employ scientific methods learned un.
der 1t. Franklin M. Kreml, Evanston,
ILL.,, safety authority, who recently
conducted q course in trafic safety at
Maryland University.
The police chief cautioned his force
to observe carefully the drivers Of
automobiles involved In accidents for
physical defects, sobriety, etc.
James w. Dickey. Al, and Charles
c. Wiley, 81, both of Pine Blun, Ark,
were slightly injured last night In .
collision between an automobile and a
freight truck at Fourteenth and Water
streets SW.
Mr.. Dickey suffered cuts about the
right temple and Mr.. Wiley possibly
suffered fracture of the ankle. They
were treated at Emergency Hospital
Dog Electrocuted in Crash.
A police dog was electrocuted last
night when the automobile In which
he was riding Knocked over q lamp
post at New Hampshire avenue and p
street NV, and became entangled in
electric wires.
The car was operated by John ].
Embrey. %, colored, Of Sumnerville,
Va. The machine, police said. clip
ped" taxicab operated by Karl G.
Benner, 700 block of Summit place
NV, at Eighteenth and H streets
NV. The taxicab driver gave chase
when the other motorist failed to stop.
At New Hampshire avenue and p
street NV. Embrey attempted . left
turn and ran over the curb, knocking
down the pole. The exposed wires
from the pole charged the car. En-
brey and his father, r. J. Embrey.
were shocked but uninjured as they
clambered from the car, although their
dog was killed.
Police Court Judge Robert M. Cur.
ran sentenced Embrey to pay . fins
of 500 or 60 to Jail for 80 days on
q charge Of leaving after colliding
today.