Evening star., 1938-04-11
APPEALS TREBLED
SINCE DEMISE Of
POLICE COURTLAW
Proponents of New Act Say
III Cases Taken Up Show
Legislation Need.
DECISIONS OF JUSTICES
ARE OFTEN REVERSED
Prince Georges County Police
Claim New System Gives
Them Black Eye
BY a STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

BY Sta6 Correspondent Of The Star.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md, April
11.-Proponents of a new and consti-
tutional police court act today pointed
to Ill appeal cases, most Of them from
decisions by justices Of the peace. as
outstanding proof Of necessity for such
court.
Maryland State and Prince Georges
County police, meanwhile, claimed the
handling of their cases had given
them black eye" State police were
particularly wrought up over DISPOSE
tions Of the cases in the Circuit court
here. Failure to get conviction
after an arrest goes against their
efficiency record.
Since the 1927 police court act was
held invalid, in part. by the Maryland
Court of Appeals last September, the
number Of appeals has nearly trebled
Most of them were for motor vehicle
law violations. Court and county
officials blamed the increase on the
fact all such cases were returned to
the justices of the peace for trial by
the appellate court ruling.
18 Are Nolle Pressed.
OF the 81 criminal appeals cases
disposed of since the court started
working on them last Thursday, only
one trial resulted in a fine of more
than S25. That was a case of assault
and battery in which the fine was $50
Before the cases could go to trial l8
were nolle pressed by States Attorney
Alan Bowie for various reasons, many
of them because the magistrates held
hearings on Sunday Seven others
were disposed of by Mr. Bowie without
hearings. 10 were left on the docket for
trial and II were continued until the
next term of court.
The States attorney explained that
great many of the cases could not
be taken into court because warrants
had been drawn faulty.
In circuit court IL appeals were dis
missed, nine pleaded guilty, motions to
quash we're overruled in four cases and
one was passed for trial during the
present term.
One $50 Fine.
OF the seven cases out Of the 81
which have gone to trial, one fine Of
$50 was assessed on an assault and
battery charge. three cases of driving
while under the influence of liquor
resulted In verdicts OF not guilty, one
case of driving while under the in
f1uence of liquor resulted in a plea Of
guilty and the defendant, a prominent
Hyattsville woman, was given a sus-
pended sentence OF the two speeding
cases which went to trial, one resulted
is a verdict of not guilty and sus-
pended sentence was given in another
on a verdict Of guilty.
q 1t was learned that nearly all speed
ing and driving while drunk cases
made by county officers were thrown
out. most of them on faulty warrants.
Members of the County Bar Asso-
citation who have been working for a
new police court law to replace the
one killed by the Appeals Court, said
this clogging up Of the Circuit Court
docket and the subsequent disposal
Of the cases should demonstrate the
necessity for court where traffic Of
tenders can be tried with dignity.
Most Of the justices of the peace in
the county have their offices in their
homes and it is claimed that trial
in such surroundings does not impress
the offenders as being legal, hence the
large number of appeals.