Evening star., 1947-10-10
Ar|ilgtuh8oIits
Are ekMedHnew,E !
BySuspension
Detectives Case
Adds to List of
Forces Complaints

suspension OF an Arlington detec-
tive for Is days on a neglect of duty
charge today had other veteran
members of the police force descrih.
ing the morale as being the lowest
since the department was or
ganized in 1910. The suspension is
the second in recent months.
The suspension of C, Burn
Presley, who has been with the
force since it was transferred from
the sheriff's Office and before that
served as a State trooper in this
area, came to light last night.
Within the last two months an
other policeman was taken off duty
for 10 days for an offense COM
mitted while off duty.
Police Chief Harry woodward and
County Manager A. T. Lundberg
confirmed Mr.. Pressley's suspension.
MIR. Pressly was out of town and
could not be reached for comment.
Numbers Raid Incident.
Although officials would not elab-
crate on the circumstances follow
ing Mr.. Pressley's suspension, it was
learned that it resulted from an in
cident during a raid on a suspected
numbers establishment in the Clar-
eendon section. The suspect was a
former county policeman.
MIR. Presley, Detective Capt Hugh
Jones and two other men raided
the alleged headquarters on a search
rroyaf II 1oory,nI h1fhnt1r1,
no evidence of a violation was found,
the policemen questioned the owner
of the establishment. While the other
three left the place for a short
while, MIR. Presley was detailed
to watch the owner. it was said.
Mr.. Presley, it was learned, in
ferred from remarks made by Capt.
hold the suspected man.
When Capt. Jones returned, the
owner had left the premises and
Mr.. Pressley's suspension followed.
Chief woodward said the suspect was
available to police later.
Mr.. Presley is the only county
policeman who is graduate of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Police Academy. He served under
Sheriff Howard Fields as a police
man for several years before 1910.
Veteran policeman who refused to
allow quotations by name voiced
several complaints which they said
we're responsible for low morale In
the force.
Chief, they said are the low sal
aries. They claim that Arlington
policemen are paid less than mem
bers of the departments in Alexan-
dria, Washington and Montgomery
County.
Another is the lack of a civil
service system. Under the act of
the General Assembly creating the
present department, members must |
be reappointed each year by the
Judge of the circuit upon recon-
mendation of the police chief. The
county government actually has very |
little to do with personnel of the
force, although the County Board
sets the rate of pay and appropriates
the money.
Proposes Appeals Board.
There is no trial board, or board |
of appeals, policemen say, in the
case of officers charged with viola
tions.
County Board Member Daniel A.
Dugan today asked for establish
ment of an Appeals Board to give
such cases an impartial hearing.
Detective Presley may or may
not have been guilty of the reason
for his suspension" Mr.. Dugan said
However he is entitled to an i'm
partial hearing before an Appeals
Board as is the case in the District
of Columbia"
Officers pointed to recent de-
tective bureau situation when Capt. !
Jones was on vacation. They said
that seniority apparently was dis
regarded in naming a detective to
take temporary charge. Although
they did not criticize the substitutes
ability, they asserted men with
much longer service were passed
over.
The County Policemen's Associa-
ton has prepared a resolution on
salaries for presentation to the
County Board. but so far 1t has not
been brought to the boards atten-
ton.
The County Board is studying
salary scales and job classifications
now and report is expected in the
near future. Board members have
made 1t clear that any. increases
granted general county employees