Evening star., 1941-07-29
Commissioners
Group Pushes
Po|iceProbe
Captains to Be Called
For Frank Views on
Improving Force

Swinging into greater activity, the
Commissioners Committee to seek
means of improving Police Depart
ment efficiency this week will begin
calling in police captains to give
their views on what changes shoulo
be made.
Members of the Detective Bureau
and perhaps other officers OF the
department are TO be summoned
later.
While full publicity was given to
testimony by police officers at the
inquiry conducted by the Schulte
subcommittee of the House, the
Commissioners investigators, 1t was
said, plan to keep their interviews
entirely off the record"
The Commissioners Group is
headed by Mai. Beverly c. Snow
Assistant Engineer Commissioner
and includes Walter L. Fowler, Dis
trict budget director, and MAJ.
James R. Lusby, District dlsbursing
officer.
II was explained that this group
was now interested primarily IN Or
eanization of the Police Depart
ment, means of recruiting ne"
members of the department. train
ing of policemen and what addl'
tional steps might be taken TO I'M
prove the force. The officers are
to be summoned to informal con-
ferences and asked to give, with
out restraint, their views on WhaJ
should be done. They are TO be
told they will not be quoted.
Data Asked of Other Cities.
The committee already has writ
ten to Baltimore, Cleveland, Gin
cinnati. Pittsburgh and Milwaukee
authorities for information as to
their police department setups ana
recruiting and training programs.
All this information is to be studied
before the committee complies lts
own recommendations.
Meanwhile, complaint was made
by Representative Bates, Republican,
of Massachusetts that the House
District Committee, of which he IS
a member, had acted too hastily
I in accepting the report of the sub
committee which has recommended
| a series of changes to increase Police
Department efficiency.
The report was accepted by the
full committee yesterday by vote
of 9 to 2. Mr.. Bates was one OF
those who voted against this action.
The other was Representative Dirk
sen of Illinois, ranking minority
member of the committee.
"I believe in putting the Police
! Department on its toes" declared
Mr.. Bates. But I don't approve of
the way in which the committee
attempted to do it. Members of the
full committee did not know what
was in the report of the subcom-
mittee until it was outlined to them.
The report was full of implications
and I think the members should
have been allowed time to study
the recommendations. I still be-
lieve in the old adage that haste
makes waste
Time for Study Voted Down.
Representative Bates made a mo-
ton at the committee meeting to
have action on the report deferred
for week so members unfamiliar
with its recommendations would
have time to study them, but was
turned down by vote of 9 to 2.
The reorganization of a police
department in a city the size of
Washington is major issue" said
Mr.. Bates. Il want to make the
Police Department here outstanding
among the departments in the
country. but I would like to have
more than 10 minutes to consider
the recommendations of the subcom-
mittee.
Il was late in arriving at the
meeting. but that is no reason why
members of the committee who did
not serve on the subcommittee
should not have been given a chance
to see the subcommittee report in
advance.
I think, too, that other members
of the subcommittee should have
been entitled to know what was in
the report before it was called before
the full committee"
Hits Civil Service Item.
Mr.. Bates said he was entirely in
sympathy with an objection raised
at the meeting by Representative
DlrkSon against two paragraphs in
the report which criticized the Civil
Service Commission for attacking a
plan. considered during the in
vestigation and later approved,
which would abolish civil service
examinations for policemen seeking
promotion. Mr. Dirksen made a
motion to expunge these two para
graphs from the report. but was
defeated by vote of 8 to 3.
Meanwhile, it was reported the
District Commissioners would send
to Congress today the draft of two
bills designed to carry out recon-
mendations of the subcommittee to
strengthen the existing habitual
criminal and vagrancy laws.
Chairman Randolph said he would
introduce the proposed measures
Immediately and refer them to the
subcommittee headed by Repre-
sentative Schultz, Democrat, of Indi-
ana. which investigated the Police
Department, with the hope they
would be approved and placed on
the House calendar in time for
consideration August II, the next