Evening star., 1941-09-18
Police Waitinq
Examination
For Detectives
Four Captains
Expected to Be
Named This Week

With the ink hardly dry on the
orders recognizing the Detective
Bureau, police had something new
to speculate about today-promo-
tions to fill four vacant captaincies
and the imminence of the civil
service examinations for super
detectives.
Any day now. the Civil Service
Commission is expected to announce
the examinations that will result in
$500 year for four detectives.
The District Commissioners already
have authorized the examinations.
Ranking police officials disclosed
today that. in their opinion, any
man who can meet the qualifications
will be eligible to take the examina-
ton, regardless of whether he is
member of the police force.
Four Vacant Captaincies.
On the matter of promotions, Act
ing Mai. Edward j. Kelly is expected
to forward to the Commissioners
this week his recommendations to
fill the four vacancies among the
captains.
The vacancies were left when Capt.
Floyd Truscott of No. 10 precinct
went on active duty with the Navy
and Capts. Harvey Callahan, Richard
Mansfield and Milton D. Smith were
made inspectors.
Reliable sources indicated that the
recommendation would be made
from the captains eligible list of
the Civil Service Commission. 1t.
Clarence Lutz of No. 13 is the top
man on the list, followed in order
by 1t. William J. Cunningham of
the Traffic Division and 1t. Robert
c. Pearce of No. 10.
Next on the eligible list are two
men who received the same grade
in the civil service examination.
They are 1t. Emile Desch of No. 5
aand 1t. Walter Thomas of the
Detective Bureau. 1t. Desch is con-
sidered to have a slightly higher
rating because of his longer service.
Change in Procedure.
Meanwhile, Chief of Detectives
Mansfield, who has been reorganiz-
ing steadily since he took over his
new job, today announced another
radical change in procedure. Within
the next few days, he said, the ro-
tating system of booking prisoners
will be abolished and the officer
who actually made the arrest
whether he is detective or uni
formed policeman, will get the credit
for it.
Heretofore the station clerk in
the Detective Bureau has kept
list of all men on each detective
squad. AS each name came to the
top of the list. that detective was
credited with the arrest, regardless
of who had actually made it. On
one occasion an officer on vacation
was credited with an arrest.
Inspector Mansfield ruled that II
a policeman stationed at precinct
brings a prisoner to headquarters to
be booked that policeman gets his
name on the book.
The inspector also announced that
the practice of using as many as
four names as arresting officers
would be stopped. 1t takes only one
man actually to make the arrest,
said the inspector, and he's the man
who is going to get the credit for it.
His decision was also prompted, he
explained. by desire to keep the
records straight.
Detectives Switched.
Inspector ManSfield'S sweeping re-
organization of Detective Bureau
squads, which included the inau-
guration of a burglary squad, went
into effect today.
Two of the detective sergeants
included in the reorganization were
switched to new posts before they
had a chance to go to work on the
jobs to which they had been trans
ferred in the order.
Inspector Mansfield had ordered
Detective Sergt. K H. Davis to work
on the check squad and Detective
Sergt. G. w. Cook to the fugitive
squad
At 8 am. today, however, Sergts.
Davis and Cook received new orders.
The former was sent to the fugitive
squad and the latter to the burglary
squad, bringing that squad to 20
men. the largest unit in the history
Of the Detective Bureau.