Evening star., 1938-10-15
ELUDES
D. c. 0FF|C|ALS0
USE0F |NF0RMERS
Further ParIeys in Prospect
to Settle Status in Vital
Evidence.
ROOKIE POLICEMEN
OF DUBIOUS VALUE
Brown Fears Gripping Of Force.
Bribe Case Points to Evil
of System.

The United States attorneys Office
and the Police Department today adj
mittedly were "perplexed" by the ques.
tion Of whether to continue depend-
ing on underworld informers for vital
evidence in prosecuting law violators.
The practice. long criticized openly
by defense attorneys and privately
even by law enforcement agencies
themselves as one that might send an
innocent man to Jail or allow a guilty
one to go free, received a definite SET
back Thursday with the arrest of two
tnformers on charges of conspiring to.
alter testimony in a District Court
numbers case for bribe of $50.
An hour-long conference between
District Attorney David A. Pine and
his assistants and Supt of Police Err
nest w. Brown and three of his top
ranking officers, ended yesterday after
noon without an answer to the ques-
ton OF whether to substitute rookie"
underworld, for the hired civilian in
formers.
Brown Parties Questions.
Maj. Brown, acting as spokesman
for the group after the conference,
parried questions from reporters on
whether rookie" policemen would be
substituted with the answer that fur
ther conferences would be held on
the matter. To very limited extent
in the past, officers who have just
joined the force and are unknown
for their police activity, have been
used in place Of informers.
In joint prepared statement, Mr..
Pine and Maj. Brown admitted that
even further deliberations would SEE
only a partial solution of this old
problem" The statement in full read:
The discussion this afternoon was
primarily for the purpose of exchang-
ing ideas and for the devising of ways
and means to prevent a recurrence CT
the incident yesterday This question
of the use of informers is an old one
and has been perplexing law enforce
ment officers for years 1t is hoped
this conference and future confer
ences which will be held from time
to time will be of material assistance
in at least partial solution of this
old problem"
Manpower Factor.
Maj Brown said the police force
would suffer from inadequate personnel
if rookie policemen were taken off
their regular assignments and used as
informers
There are other reasons. too" the
police head declared Their useful
ness as informers might be gone en-
tirely after they had testified in court
in only one case"
Although some informers are found
useful for as long as a year, Maj.
Brown added, some become generally
known to underworld society after
testifying in only one case, depending
on the violation involved. Outside of
hired informers, rookie" policeman
are the only officers who can be used,
as the ''old timers" are known for their
previous police work. James Fallin, one
of the colored informers arrested
Thursday, had been an undercover
man about year.
Because of the necessarily confden-
tial nature of the informer system, Maj.
Brown declined to answer questions on
the number employed or the amount of
money the department had paid them.
Maj. Brown said, however that Fallin
hoI haan
Martin, the other arrested on the
bribery charge, who was said to have
acted as An Intermediary in the alleged.
bribe transaction, was paid for his
piece work"
Attending the conference with Maj.
Brown were Inspector L. I. H. Edwards
and Capt. George NJ Little and De-
tective Sergt. George c. Deyoe of the
vice squad, who arrested Fallin and
Martin. With District Attorney Pine
was his entire corps of assistants. in
cluding Karl Kindleberger, in charge Of
Police Court prosecutions, and his CO..
workers.
Attorney Tells of Payment.
The two informers pleaded not
guilty to the bribery charges when ar,
raigned before Police Court Judge
Walter J. Casey yesterday. They were
held for grand jury action under SIS 600
bond after Attorney J. Louis O'Connori
testified that he had paid Fallin, who
is %, of the 700 block of Irving street,
NV, $50 to alter his testimony in a,
numbers trial in which Mr.. O'Connor',
is the defense attorney. Mr. O'Connors
said that Martin, who is "a, of the ZOO
block Of Nineteenth street NE, acted
as Intermediary in the transaction
The bills-a twenty, 2 tens and q
fives-were offered in evidence by
Sergt. Deyoe as the money found on
Fallin aftes he had been stripped of
his pants in a Police Court washroom
where the alleged transaction took
place.
Shortly after Fallin's arrest Thurs
day, Mr.. Pine announced that prosecur
ton Of nine cases in which the in
former was to testify would be sus-
pended pending outcome of the charge
against him. His arrest also brought
a statement from Milton D. Korman,
assistant corporation counsel at Police
Court. that six pending cases. to be
prosecuted on the strength of the in
formers testimony. would be nolle
pressed.