Evening star., 1949-09-21
Bethesda Chief
Cites Problem
.0fDe|inquency
Tells County Council
Of Concern; Other
Officers Also Heard

Juvenile delinquency is very
serious problem" in Bethesda, the
community's ranking police officer
declared yesterday.
Capt. Ernest L. Thompson ex-
pressed concern over the situation
in a discussion before the Mont
gomery County Council. In re-
sponse to a question, he asserted
the delinquency is due largely to
conditions in homes.
Capt. Thompson is commanding
officer of the county police sub
station at Bethesda. He is the
first of several officers requested
to appear before the council to
discuss their duties.
At the same session, Police
Chief Charles M. Orme told the
council that revisions should be
made in the Montgomery Justice
of-peace system. The chief said
the number of justices should be
increased so as to provide service
around the clock and to relieve
police desk clerks Of the work.
3 Appointments Approved.
Chief Orme said he strongly op-
posed the system under which
desk clerks-who also are justice
of the peace-fix bonds and COL
lect collateral from arrested per-
sons.
The council formally approved
the appointment of three assist
ants to County Attorney David
Macdonald, and the appointment
of a new administrative assistant
to County Manager Irving G. Nc
Nayr. Under the charter govern
ment plan. the appointees are Sc
lected by the county attorney and
by the manager but must be ac-
ceptable to the council.
AS one of his assistants, Mr.,
Macdonald named Plummer H.
Shearin, 80, who has been admin
istrative assistant to the county
manager and clerk to the council.
Mr.. Shearin took a salary cut Of
$500 year to $4,000 in order to
devote full time to legal work. A
graduate of George Washington
University. he was admitted to
the District and Maryland bars
this year.
Served in Navy.
Mr.. Shearin is a native of North
Carolina and took BIS. degree at
Wake Forest College. He spent
three years in the Navy, mostly in
the Southwest Pacific on the staff
OF an amphibious commander. He
was executive director of the
Montgomery County Charter Com
mittee last year.
The other new assistant attor.
neys will receive Sc. 500 each. They
are James S. Lanigan, 81, of 8473
Piney Branch Court, Silver Spring,
and J. Hodge Smith, 80, of Bal.
timore.
Mr.. Lanigan. a Harvard law
graduate, has, been an attorney
with the Economic Cooperation
Administration for about a year..
Before that he practiced with a
New York law firm. He is a men,
ber Of the Executive Board of tho
Montgomery County Unit of Amer.
leans for Democratic Action. He
spent four years in the Navy, in
which he served as a lieutenant.
Native of Maryland.
Mr.. Smith is a native of Mary
land. He attended Pennsylvania
State College and took his degree
at the University of Maryland. He
practiced for a year in Cumber-
land but since April, 1916, has
been associated with a Baltimore
firm. He has specialized in legis-
lative drafting and served as at
torney for the Veterans Admins
tration in Baltimore. There he
prepared a digest of real and per-
sonal property in Maryland. He
spent three years in Army intel
ligence work.
To fill Mr.. Shearin's Office as
administrative assistant and coun-
Gil clerk, Mr.. McNayr chose John
D. McElroy. 81, of Silver Spring.
He had been assistant to Mr..
Shearin and was paid $500 a
year. His new salary viii be
$4,000.
Mr.. McElroy, a native of Okla
homa, attended the University Of
Oklahoma and George Washing
ton, where he received his law de-
gree. He is a member of the Dis
trict and Maryland bars. An
Army first lieutenant, he served
more than three years, some of
the time in Pacific.