Evening star., 1941-07-04

| Dy a steamship d lille OIL Iile
don't want any publicity about 1t.
We were satisfied by 10 that night
that Miss Strieff had not been taken
to any hospital"
Sees No Reason for Delay.
Didn't some one at headquarters
tell LIE Blanc (Stanley lie Blanc,
Miss Strieffs flance) that the police
couldn't do anything about it for
six hours?"
Il don't know"
Would you approve of that?"
mo, there was no reason why
something should not have been
done at once"
Then if that was done you
wouldn't approve of it?'
No, I'd call it neglect of duty"
Maj Brown called the Strieff
murder the most battling case We
have had" He added: We went
to every house in the neighborhood
and interviewed every one who
might have known anything
about it,
Wasn't it newspaper reporter
and not the police who discovered
that the girl had stopped in deli
catesSen?'
Il don't know
"I have been informed" said Mr..
Hebert, that some one in the neigh
borhood was not questioned.
Maj. Brown said he thought every
one was.
Don't you think the chairman
asked, that every person who knew
this girl should have been questioned
by the police?'
One Not Questioned.
Eyes"
well, I know OF one man who
was in the girls apartment the Fri
day before her death who never
was questioned That's not hear
say--I know it. I don't think he
knows anything about her death.
But he was not questioned. Would
you call that good police work."
mo, if that happened I would
not"
Have the police been efficient in
this case?"
They have not proved their eff
cheney on this case"
Asked about the present efficiency
of the Detective Bureau, Maj.
Brown said:
I've already started reorgani-
zation of that bureau 1t is not
functioning as efficient as it should.
Today it is the weakest link in the
department.
Recalls Investigation Case.
The only thing approaching
"Gestapo" which Maj. Brown could
recall was once when the Commits
sioner asked him to investigate two
detectives who were reported fire.
quenting gambling resort.
Rookie policemen had been used,
Maj. Brown explained, to investigate
gambling, because they were not
known to the gamblers. stool
pigeons" often were discredited in
court, he pointed out, and policemen
were better witnesses.
Capt. Hartman's squad, Maj.
Brown explained, was used during
violations and later it was concen-
trated on gambling.
There we're a number of barred
gambling houses in Washington"
Maj Brown recalled. You would
have hard time finding one today"
Except for the Detective Bureau,
Maj. Brown was asked if he was
satisfied" with the rest of the
force.
Yes" he replied. They are
rendering very good service. If
we had a sufficient number of
men, we would provide a better
service"
Maj Brown said he would like to
have the same number of men on
the force in the ratio of population
as were connected with it in 1884.
Assignment to Private Events.
The superintendent, asked by
Representative Hebert whether he
approved of the assignment of po-
licemen TO such private functions as
the ball games and prize fights at
Griffith Stadium free of charge to
the promoters of such events, re-
piled:
mo. If I had the power I would
police the streets around such
places"
A suggestion was made several
days ago by Mr.. Hebert that the
department charge S. for each Off
Ger assigned on such special detail.
Representative Sauthoff, Progress
sive, of Wisconsin asked if the
Police Department received Coop
Grafton from the prosecutors
office"
L feel So" replied the superin-
tendent.
What about the courts?" asked
Mr.. Sauthoff.
Il am not here to criticize the
courts" said Maj. Brown, but I
do feel that sometimes the penalties
imposed are not in keeping with the
crimes"
Started Reorganization.
Maj. Brown said he started re-
organizing the Detective Bureau a
month or six weeks ago. He said
there were several conditions he
wanted to change-First,. to reduce
the working hours of a man as
signed to the bureau. He explained
that some of the men working on
murder cases now are on duty 20