Evening star., 1950-04-01
Probers Submit
Plan 10 Tighten
Enforcement
D. c. Code Revisions,
Police Expansion
Among Proposals


here was in the hands Of top
officials today.
The program. in the form Of an
11-page memorandum, was pre-
sented to about 20 jurists, pros
ecutors. police and others at q
conference yesterday by the House
District Subcommittee Investigate
ing crime.
Chairman Davis of the subcom-
mittee said his group would con-
centrate now on the proposals
embodied in the memorandum
But he predicted that further
hearings would be held some time
in the future.
But the memorandum declared ::
Public hearings at this juncture
OF the investigation and the under
standable discontinue which pub
lie interrogation necessarily en-
|genders might eventually initiate
against the achievement Of the
established objectives Of the COM
mittee."
To Call Meeting.
Mr.. Davis, making public the
proposals after the session, said he
hopes to cali another meeting as
soon as the law enforcement
officials can study the program
and present their own recon-
mendations.
The recommendations are the
outgrowth of lengthy investiga-
ton and public hearings by the
Davis subcommittee.
Highlights Of the proposed pro-
gram:
A continuing council or con-
ference on law enforcement to CO.
ordinate functions should be
set up.
The District Code should be
revised in many particulars, and
new administrative procedures
established in various agencies.
The Metropolitan Police force
should be enlarged and the Police
Academy reactivated.
The Office of United States At
torney should be reorganized by
creation of divisions and the staff
enlarged.
In both District Court and Mu-
nicipal Court. concurrent SEN
tences should be the exception,
not the rule"
Higher Bail for Repeaters.
From both of these courts, no.
tification as to each conviction
and sentence imposed should be
forwarded daily to the Criminal
Records Division of the Metro
politan Police Department.
Bail of persons with prior rec
ords should be substantially
higher.
The United States commission
er should be given adequate IA
cilfties. ..- s
Uniform rules regulating bail
and bondsmen by both courts
should be promulgated. a.
Within constitutional limita-
tions. laws governing arrest, search
seizure and suppression of evi-
dence obtained with a warrant
should be revised.
A system of central criminal
records should be established to
provide an immediate flow of such
records from arrest by any au-
thority to final disposition in all
courts.
Ban Sex Offense Probations.
Persons convicted of certain sex
offenses should not be eligible for
probation. and limitations on the
power of a court to suspend SEN
tence in such instances should be
enacted into law.
Mr.. Davis said the subcommittee
would delay consideration of a
special investigation of gambling
here, in order to concentrate on
the principal objective" outlined
in the memorandum.
I'VE don't want any specialized
investigation of gambling now" !"
he said. until we see how far
Senate committee plans to 20
in it's inquiry into gambling here
and throughout the Nation. We
don't want to duplicate their
work"
Suggestions for dealing more
severely with gambling were ad-
vanced by the memorandum yes
terday. They included conflsca-
ton of automobiles used in gam
bling operations, and recommen-
dation that persons convicted of
more than two offenses against the
gambling statues should be dealt
with as habitual criminals for a
period of 10 years.
Mr.. Davis and other members
of the subcommittee could not at
tend the conference. because the
House was voting on the ECA bill.
The memorandum was presented
to the gathering by Hyman l..
Fischbach. counsel to the subcom-
mittee.
Mr.. Davis later said the gath
ering yesterday could be consid-
cred an embryo continuing coun-
cil' OF the kind proposed by the
subcommittee.