Evening star., 1941-06-24
By JAMES E. CHINN.

The enlarged Police and Fire SUBJ
committee of the House District
Committee decided today to start
its investigation of the Metropolitan
Police Department at 10 am. Friday.
Mai. Ernest w. Brown, superinten-
dent of police, will be called as ths
first witness.
The investigation at the outset
will be conducted behind closed
doors, but newspaper men will be
allowed to cover the proceedings,
Chairman Schultz said, as repre-
sentatives of the public" Later q
series Of public hearings will be held,
he explained, at which any person
who has a constructive suggestion
will be allowed TO testify.
Barring of the public from the
hearings, Mr.. Schultz emphasized,
is due primarily to the lack Of
facilities in the small House District
Committee room to accommodate
a crowd of spectators.
And" added Representative He
bert of Louisiana, who proposed the
investigation, we don't want TO go
back to the days Of the guillotine
and have curious spectators sitting
around knitting, waiting for a head
to be chopped off"
Executive Session Held.
Plans for the inquiry and the pro-
cedure to be followed we're mapped
out at a Commute executive con-
ference of the subcommittee, which
was attended by four of its seven
members-Representatives Schultz,
Hebert and Maciora of Connecticut,
Democrats. and Bolles, Republican,
of Wisconsin.
Mr.. Schultz announced the Com
missioners would be invited to sit
with the subcommittee throughout
the investigation not to participate.
but to hear"
He also announced that after
the inquiry opens, police officials
of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia
and other major cities would be
called to make suggestions for i'm
provement in the local Police De-
partment.
"Our aim" Mr.. Schultz said. will
be to streamline the department and
make it the most efficient in the
country. We are going to try and
develop whether the department
lacks men and equipment and
whether discipline is what it should
be. We want to place responsibility
for present conditions in the depart
ment and reward efficient officers
with promotion and penalize the
inefficient with demotion."
Comprehensive Survey.
Mr.. Schultz said the investigation
he calls it "survey"-will be COM
prehensive and cover every ave-
nue." He said it would not be con-
Quoted hastily" and probably would
require month to complete. ALL
day hearings for three and four days
a week are contemplated.
The subcommittee, he pointed out,
does not propose to single out the
recent Jessie Elizabeth Strief MUIR
der case or any other unsolved crime
for particular scrutiny.
I'VE are going to proceed" he
said. "as if nothing has happened"
Following Maj. Brown the SUBJ
committee plans to call as witnesses
all the police inspectors, captains,
lieutenants and others of lesser rank
in order to get what Mr.. Schults
describes as "a complete picture" Of
what is going on in the department.
After the police officers newspaper
reporters covering police headquar-
ters are to be invited to testify.
Clerks to Be Asked.
For assistance the subcommittee
will ask the Commissioners to assign
to it several District clerks. Later,
he said, the House will be requested
to appropriate a small sum out of
its contingent fund to pay the Incl
dental expenses of the inquiry.
No action against any police off,
Ger who may be found inefficient
(See POLICE, Page A-50