Evening star., 1947-09-14
Police Crime Reports

To the public at large the important
issue in the Police Departments practlce
of withholding certain crime reports from
general distribution has been whether that
practice involved any sinister intent.
sinister intent would be deliberate
effort to defraud the public by juggled
statistics. 1t would be to cover up the
DEPARTMENTS failures in crime solution. 1t
would be to shield favored individuals from
publicity ordinarily accompanying viola
ton of law
The import of the Washington Posts
expose of the Police Department practice
of withholding or "pocketing" reports was
that there was something undermined
and sinister about the system. The Stars
own investigation of the practice did not
sustain, in The Stars opinion, any such
inference. Unfortunately, the question
was left unanswered when the Senate Dis
trict Committees proposed investigation
was blocked on the Senate floor Senate
subcommittee should have been able to
clear up the matter of motives within a
short time and to the public's complete
satisfaction.
For If a Police Department were found
guilty of withholding crime reports from
the public with some sinister intent, the
department should be cleansed from top to
bottom of the rascals guilty of the prac-
tice On the other hand, if reports were
being withheld by custom and practice
based on experience and as an aid to crime
detection, then the system should be ex-
amined in relation to its efficiency.
Superintendent of Police Barrett's inveS-
tigation of the system of crime reporting
points out its long history, as indicated by
orders of previous superintendents. There
Is an absence of sinister intent; in fact the
reasons for withholding certain reports are
basedson common sense. But two develop
ments have made the whole system, in
Major Barretts language, obsolete" One
is the development of improved COM
munications facilities, such as radio and
new police methods. The other is the in
creasing Importance of crime statistics
compiled, under FBI leadership in uni
form pattern. Certain reports will con-
tinue to be "pocketed"-as the phrase
goes-by the police. Major Barrett de-
fends that as good police technique, and
he makes convincing case for it. But
I, the whole system of reports, under his
recommendations would be changed in the
direction of greater centralization under
headquarters, eliminating some previous
duplication between headquarters and the
precincts
AS part of his report to the Commis-
sioners, Major Barrett includes the results
of an FBI investigation, made at his re-
quest, of local crime reporting methods.
The discrepancy between the Police De-
partment's statistics and the FB1'S uniform
crime reports arises from Interpretation
and classification of local crimes reported.
Regardless of claSsifcations of crime un-
der District laws, however, our Police De-
partment should follow the FBI method in
supplying statistics for the FBI's Uniform
Crime Reports. Major Barrett indicates
the practice may be in compiling his own
records.
The changes proposed by Major Barrett
will be an improvement. They will make
for more efficient police work and place
more emphasis, which is correct, on orderly
statistics, Immediately available from a
single source.
Major Barrett stepped into this ruckus
over crime reports before he was appointed
superintendent. 1t seems to The Star that
he has gone about clearing up the con-
fusion and getting the thing into proper
perspective in an efficient and workmanlike
manner.