Evening star., 1941-07-03

solved crimes here and the existing
crime wave?" Representative
Hebert asked. There hasn't been
an unsolved crime in New Orleans
in IS years"
CMr. Hebert is a native of New
OrleansD
Mr.. Hartman said that while the
Police Department as a whole Is
efficient he did not believe the De-
tective Bureau to be up to par.
Mr.. Hebert wanted to know why.
Because of the administration,
Mr.. Hartman responded.
What fault do you find with
the bureau?" Mr.. Hebert asked.
Hes gone" was the answer.
who's gomez" inquired Mr.
Hebert.
Inspector Thompson" came the
reply. Hes been out for about two
months"
We'll since then" declared Rep
resentative Hebert, I'VE have had the
Strieff murder case and that hasn't
been solved yet"
Reverting to the "Gestapo" angle,
Mr.. Hartman said:
Il don't want to engage in per-
sonalities. I feel sorry for the men
who have been up here and dragged
me into the gutter"
Mr.. Hartman testified that when
he became head of the special in
vestigation squad Leslie c. Garnett,
then United States attorney for
the District, asked him to go into
gambling and graft in the Police
Department.
Il told him." he said, that was
a mans job" 1 made prelimi-
nary report and he (GarnetU con-
ferred with the chief.
There isn't anything on record
that I have done that I'll apologize
for to any one. This is the first
time I've been called on to make
public statement about my activ-
ity."
Joined Force in 1928.
After an interruption by Repre-
sentative Hebert, Mr.. Hartman con-
tlnued.
I've pounded the bricks for a
year. 1 took civil service examina-
ton for promotion and have a.
tempted to raise my academic stand-
ard I have a library in my Office
with every known book on police in
vestigation. I've read every one of
them. When I came into the de-
partment it was to make a career
l didn't wait 10 years to do it,
Mr.. Hartman was appointed to the
force, he said, May 16, 1923.
Duties Described.
Mr.. Hartman was asked to de-
scribe the duties of his squad. He
said it enforced gambling laws, alco-
| holic beverage control regulations
investigated un-American activities
worked with selective service boards
and made special investigations for
the Commissioners and the police
superintendent.
He also explained that all the men
| attached to his squad work in plain
clothes.
Mr.. Hebert inquired as to the type
of Investigations made for the police
superintendent.
Anything that comes over mis-
desk that we can do for him." the
witness answered. These include
checkups for the naval intelligence
and requests that come from out OF
town"
| Mr. Hebert asked if any special
Investigations are made of members
in the department.
Absolutely none Mr.. Hartman
| declared
A few moments later, however
Mr.. Hartman recalled that once an
investigation was made of an officer
accused of subversive activities. but
the inquiry showed the man to be
innocent.
SauthOff Questions Witness.
Representative Sauthoff, Progress
sive, of Wisconsin later took up the
questioning
Il judge, lieutenant he said
'that good deal of your time-that
is, your squads time-is consumed
by assignments in connection with
Federal bureaus and departments,
so that, with the emergency abroad,
these demands are great"
1--WE are always 18 months behind
with our own work" the officer re-
piled.
Acting Capt. Hartman agreed with
the committee member that it would
be better for the F. E. I. to take
care of this work or for additional
men to be assigned to the metro
politan police for such details.
At the chairmanS suggestion, the
witness explained briefly off-the-
record some of the work his squad
was doing for the F. B. I. during
the emergency.
200 Men Declared Needed.
Asked how he would improve the
departments efficiency, in general,
the officer said:
AT least 200 men are needed tc
bring the strength of the force ur
to meet properly the problems OF
the day"
Mr.. Sauthoff recalled that the
captain of No. precinct had de.
scribed 81 murders in three years
and the captain of another precinct
10 others, so that at least 80 MUIR
ders in the period had been men,
toned.
This" he added. is "a shocking
record in any civilized community
and l don't know where we would
find a worse record. What can we
do to correct this deplorable situa-
| tion?"
"We need more men," said Capt
Hartman. There's no question
about it,"
Asked what was done to train
investigators before they were as.
signed to detective work. Capt
Hartman said there was a school,
with a three-month course and hi
thought it was doing a "a swell Job. ,
1T might be extended to 81,
months" he added.
How long has this school beer
going on?"