Evening star., 1949-09-11
Barrett Wants
Rein on His Men
InCourtPosts
Young Bocks Plan,
Will Have 1t Outlined
To Commissioners


Superintendent of Police Robert
J. Barrett wants to remove his
uniformed men from their jobs
in the Corporation CounsePs
office at Municipal Court and get
tighter supervision over his men
in the United States Attorneys
Office, Commissioner John Russell
Young disclosed yesterday.
Mr.. Young said he thought Mai.
Barrett sounds like he is on the
right track" He added he will
have the police superintendent
present his proposal to the Com
miSsioners
Maj. Barrett's move to get a
tighter rein over the activities of
policemen assigned to the United
States Attorneys Office as in
vestigators follows his transfer
of 1t. Joseph Shimon to the
Fourteenth Precinct.
Wire-Tapping Charged.
1t. Shimon had been the prose-
cutor's chief investigator since
1941. Maj. Barrett ordered his
transfer last month. That fol-
lowed complaints that 1t. Shimon
was involved in the divorce pro-
ceedings of a socially prominent
Washington couple. A complaint
alleging wire-tapping also reached
Maj. Barrett.
The police report on 1t. Shimon
was sent to United States Attor-
ney George Morris Fay to deter
mine whether there were any
grounds for prosecution but Mr..
Fay sent the report back unread
with the suggestion that the JUS
tice Department should make the
decision. Maj. Barrett left in
structions for the Shimon report
to go to Assistant Attorney Cen
sral Alexander M. Campbell.
OF Maj. Barretts proposal for
closer supervision over the three
men left as investigators in Mr.
Fay's office, Mr.. Young said::>
He wants to have a better
arrangement for them to report
to him so they will not be so
completely isolated from him as
they have been in the past. That
sounds very logical.
Wants to Cooperate
I'VE want to cooperate with
Mr.. Fay in any way possible. That
has always been my policy and
Maj. Barrett's, too. I don't see
why MIR. Fay would have any
objectinn to the, policemen being
under closer supervision of Mai.
Barrett.
The presence Of policemen in
the United States Attorneys Office
has been a point of contention
for years. Mr.. Fay and his prede-
cessors have urged development
of q division of investigation. In
fact, provision for such a staff is
included in the plans for the new
courthouse. But the Police De-
partment, continuously harassed
by undermining. has never been
enthusiastic about permanently
detailing its men to the Office
across Indiana avenue.
Mai. Barrett has been consist
emily trying to get more uniformed
men on the street. Commissioner
Young said that is behind his
proposal to remove trio of po-
licemen from the Corporation
Counsel's Office in Municipal
Court.
Uniformed men have been lis
tening to complaints and prepar-
ing information for court hear
ings for years at Municipal Court.
Commissioner Young said Maj.
Barrett contends these chores
could be performed by civilian
clerks.
Other Personnel Lacking.
The Commissioner said Maj.
Barrett also objects to the ar
rangement in the Corporation
Counsels Office because police
privates sometimes are put in the
position where they hear cases
brought in by police lieutenants
or other superior officers.
Andg as in the United States
Attorneys Office, Maj. Barrett re-
portedly doesn't like the idea of
having policemen in jobs out of
range of his supervision.
- Commissioner Young said Maj.
Barrett's proposal raises a ques-
tfon of who would supply the
personnel to replace the police
men If they are withdrawn from
Municipal Court. He said he as
sumed the replacements would
have, to come out of the budget
for the Corporation Counsel's Of
flee.
Since there is no provision in
the budget for such workers, the
Commissioner explained, Mai.
Barrett's proposal will have to
be put before the Commissioners
when they are making up the next
District budget estimates.
I'm going to have Maj. Bar
rett explain what he has in mind
to the other Commissioners" Mr..
Young said. Then we'll see how
we can work it OUT