Evening star., 1944-06-15
House May Act
To Open uses
Files 10 Police
Crime Inquiries
Baked by Stond
Of Work Agency


Of Work Agency
Indignant because police have
been baked in their efforts to get
concerning criminals
from the United States Employment
Service office here. Chairman Nc
MILAN of the House District Com
mittee's Police and Fire Subcommit-
tee today recommended that the
District Commissioners attempt,
through regulations to remedy the
situation and promised to introduce
q bill If their efforts failed.
District War Manpower Commis-
sion officials pointed out they were
restricted by law from giving in
formation to police, but some quar-
ters expressed the opinion that the
law could be interpreted to include
police.
Police Supt. Edward J. Kelly said
he believed the police should be in
cluded among the agencies permitted
to get information from the USES.
Information GUARDED.
At present, USES officials ex-
planned, the only agencies permitted
to get the information are Army
and Navy Intelligence, the FBI, the
Treasury in certain cases, agencies
charged with administering various
phases of the Social Security Act
and certain others specifically ex-
empted from the confidential pro-
visions of the Social Security Act,
Even those allowed to get the in
formation, it was pointed out, are
not allowed access to the records.
May Introduce Bill.
Informed of a complaint made by
Police Inspector Robert j. Barrett,
chief of de iectives, that in one case
police were refused information
needed to track down a murderer.
Representative Mcmillan declared:
IF police can't be trusted
with confidential information, they
shouln't be on the force"
He said he wasn't sure whether
the Commissioners would be ablo
to write a regulation covering the
question, but that If they were un-
able to correct 1t, "Iu be glad to
introduce a bill to do so"
Inspector Barrett said that in case
after case where efforts to get ad.
dresses, Social Security numbers,
names Of relatives and other infor-
nation which might help the police
track down criminals had met with
a refusal from the USES.
Offlcials Refuse to Cooperate.
In one case, he said, where Vir-
ginia police reported that woman
wanted for grand larceny was at the
moment in the USES Office, WASH
ington police who hurried to the
4 scene and asked USES officials to
point out the offender were given no
assistance.
/ Inspector Barrett pointed out that
Through this lack of cooperation, it
was possibie for thieying domestics
to be sent to job after job by the
USES merely by changing their
names each time they applied for
/ work.
i Representative Smith, Democrat,
OF Virginia, who was informed Of
dificulties with the USES by Ar.
lington Police Chief II. L. Wood
yard, had made inquiries of the
Washington police in an effort to
find out what was happening, In
spector Barrett said.
Mr. Smith said he had tried to
get some information from this
USES himself after the Arlington
police had failed, but that he, too,
was unable to get what the police
sought.
Situation Of Long Standing.
Maj. Kelly reported that the first
case where the USES had failed to
aid the police had come to his at
teitnon more than q year ago.
While he realized that the informa-
ton the police sought was conf
Dental. Maj. Kelly said, he said he
thought every organization should
cooperate with the police to the
extent Of taking police into its con-
f1dence.
Inspector Barrett stated fiatly
that I'VE have gotten no co-opera-
ton whatever from the USES"
District war manpower officials
quoted the law which prevented
them from giving the police infor-
nation and also cited an opinion
from the Justice Department in
structing USES officials to refuse to
give information from their records
in court even on a subpoena.
Acting Washington War Man.
power Director Ernest v. Connolly
pointed out that employers of do
mestics used to require some record
or reference from them before 1t be-
came so difficult to get domestic
help. He indicated that in this way
they had protected themselves in
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