Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-07-26
Plan 10 Bolster
Detective Force
Is Approved
Those Promoted to
Lieutenant to Stuy
On Duty in Bureau .

to permit detectives to stay IN the
Detective Bureau after they be-
come lieutenants instead of shift
ing them to the precincts as uni
formed officers.
The new order is expected to
have these effects:
/. If detective sergeant heads
the promotion list and a uni
formed sergeant is second in line,
both would be promoted in case of
vacancy in the precincts. The
detective sergeant would stay in
the Detective Bureau IS a lieuten-
ant and the uniformed man would
get the precinct l1eutenant's job
If two or three detective sergeants
head the list, they would all gel
promoted.
2. The 90-man Detective Blu
reau may ultimately be stated by
lieutenants instead of sergeantS
More Job Security.
5. More job security will be as
sured for detectives since as lieu.
tenants they cannot be reduced
in rank without going through
the Police Trial Board while de-
tective sergeants hold that rank
only while on special assignment
to the Detective Bureau.
4. Probationary and precinct de-
tectives. however. will have a
simmer chance Of getting to be
detective sergeants since detective
sergeants will stay in the Detec-
tive Bureau after promotion to
lieutenant and no vacancy will be
created. Now they will have to
coast along until the detective Of
ficers retire.
The city heads action today
was on a proposal by Police Supt.
Robert j. Barrett, who said he
had been losing ace investigators
under the old system of promot-
ing them out of detective work
Maj. Barrett said the move also
will improve the morale of his
uniformed men by boosting their
chance of promotion.
At the same time. the Commits
sioners agreed to let Maj. Barrett
include in his 1851 budget request
an item boosting the pay of heads
OF squads. Under this recon-
mendation, lieutenantS command
ing squads would receive captains
pay and sergeants in charge Of
squads would get the pay of lieu
tenants.
Old System Explained.
In asking to keep his detectives
after they become lieutenantS,
Mai. Barrett explained that under
the old system promoted sergeants
were transferred to uniformed
duty in the precincts to fill the
requirements for lieutenants
throughout the force. Only in
rare instances, he said, could they
remain in the Detective Bureau
because of an officer vacancy
there.
He argued that the salary diff
ference between a detective ser
geant and a lieutenant is only
s67.72 a year. He contended it
wouldn't strain the budget if the
sereeants jobs we're left untitled
and the promoted men stayed in
the bureau.
Mai. Barrel told the Commits.
sioners he has lost seven ser.
geants since establishment of the
current Civil Service register fol
promotion on February II, 1948
He now hopes to get them back
if the budget can be stretched.
He pointed out that under thu
old procedure, the Detectiv,
Bureau not only lost years O.
training and specialized expert
ence but "the community lost tn,
result of their effort in thi.
highly specialized field"
"Of course he added, "tht
department at large did gain thu
benefit of their experience in theil
new field of work in the uniform
force. but these functions coulc
have been carried out by mer
whose training had been solely
within the uniform ranks"
TIE Croob na<onk;y~~ Hn.knI
Approval of the new system OF
keeping promoted sergeants in the
Detective Bureau will allow Mai.
Barrett to hold onto two crack
homicide detectives who have been
promoted to lieutenants. They are
John K. Baker and Richard j
Felber.
Mai. Barrett outlined these pay
proposals to be included in his
next budget request:
He suggested the designation OF
acting captain, with captains pay
for the heads of the homicide
squad. robbery-fugitive squad. gen.
eral assignment squad, missing
persons special investigation
squad. the sex squad and the head
of the pawn office, who also super
vises the work of all precinct de.
tectives and plainclothesmen ir
the IA precincts.
At present one is a temporary
captain being paid from lapsee
funds and the rest are lieutenants
Maj. Barrett said the heads o.
the auto-bicycle squad, check anc
fraud squad. narcotic squad ane
the identification bureau, as wei
as the administrative assistant tt
the chief of detectives all shoult
be designated acting lieutenant
with lieutenant's pay. At presen
all are detective sergeants.
Cooper Succeeds Redman.
Maj. Barrett also wants t.
bring back to the DETECTIVE
Bureau trained personnel now il
the uniform ranks.
In another action today tn
Commissioners named 1t. Georg
E. Cooper to succeed 1t. Lewis D
Redman, night inspector at polio
headquarters, who died of brail