Evening star., 1940-05-20
Crime in Wushinoton

bright ones in the picture of crime
conditions in the District of Colum-
bia as painted in the report of the
Washington Criminal Justice Asso-
citation for 1899. The darker parts
include 10 per cent rise in crime
over the previous year, stagnation
in growth of the Police Department
despite steady increase in popula-
tlon, prevalence of technical" or
"dragnet" arrests of the type which
evoke complaints that civil rights
are being ignored by police, exist
ence of a chaotic" bail bond sys-
tenn and finally a 21.l per cent de-
crease in successful Police Court
prosecutions.
Brighter aspects include a general
Improvement in police efficiency, as
evidenced by Els per cent in
crease in number of arrests over
1888 and nearly 7 per cent over 1887;
a So per cent rise in guilty pleas or
guilty verdicts in the criminal
branches of the United States Dis
trict Court, speedier presentation
and disposition of criminal cases in
the courts and improvement of pro-
baton procedure.
The rise in crime and the made
quacy of police personnel are, Of
course, directly related. The asso-
citation has done the city real serv-
ice by focusing attention on the de-
plorable neglect of the Police Depart
ment in connection with legislation
for local law enforcement during the
past decade. Figures show that
although the city's population has
expanded by approximately 10000
persons since 1880, only eighty-two
additional policemen have been au-
thorized by Congress during that
period. This means that for every
2,O48 new residents, one patrolman
was added to the force. In London,
the report points out, there is one
policeman for every 800 residents.
The Metropolitan Police Department
has asked for one hundred additional
men, but the budget-approved re-
quest to Congress called for only
one-fourth Of that number. Even
this increment was disapproved by
the House, but the Senate restored
the item in the District supply bill.
The fate of this important provision
now is in the hands of Senate and
House conferees. It would be false
economy OF the most serious sort if
at least twenty-five additional pa
trolmen were not supplied the UNDER
manned Police Department of this
big city.
Meanwhile, the Police Department
can strengthen public support of its
difficult work by bending every effort
to eliminate all cause for criticism
with respect to the "dragnet" arrests
"for investigation" mentioned in the
report. Too many persons are held
without charges, in the opinion Of
the association This is a matter
involving constitutional rights of the
citizens and, therefore, it is of con-
Germ to the law-abiding as we'll as
the transgressors. On the other
hand, the police undoubtedly must
be given reasonable latitude in in
vestigating crimes, else criminals
may escape punishment. There is
need for Qualification Of the laws.
governing arrests of suspected per-
sons in Washington. Fortunately,
the District Bar Association has this
problem under consideration. It is
to be hoped that solution may be
found-through new legislation, if
necessary-in fairness to the police,
to persons arrested upon suspicion
and to the cause of better law en-
forcement in the Nations Capital.