Evening star., 1951-11-22
A Good Man in the Riqht Place


paraded before the Commissioners yesterday
and there are good men in the group-Inspector
Robert " Murray was finally summoned. One
of the Commissioners remarked upon his out
standing record. Inspector Murray responded
with what was an excellent speech in the cir
cumstances. He said, "I'm proud of that record
because I've worked for it..
His appointment as Superintendent of Police.
to become effective nine days hence with the
retirement of Robert J. Barrett was based on
that record. That is as it should be. 1t is a
record which reflects not only hard work, but
intelligent and courageous work extending over
81 years. 1t is a record unmarried by hint of
scandal or reprimand. The man is respected
throughout the department for that record.
There is nothing more conducive to good morale
in any group than promotion won by unques-
toned merit.
The appointment comes at the right time.
There were suggestions that a permanent ap-
pointment be delayed until say, the current
Senate investigation of the Police Department
is concluded. In The Stars opinion, the adop-
ton of such suggestion would have been mis-
take. What the Police Department needs now,
as much as anything else, is firm leadership and
a complete change in the atmosphere at head
quarters, One of the benefits of the prompt ac-
caused by Major Barrett's retirement will be an
end to the politicking that began within the
force as soon as the wiseacres concluded that
Major Barrett was through, regardless of what
the diagnosis of his ailments might show
Another advantage in having made the
appointment now is that Major Murray is In
position to lend the complete cooperation of
his office to the Senate investigation. That
investigation, in The Stars opinion, got off Oh
the wrong foot with its highly dubious ques-
tionnaires. Major Barrett had every right, moral
and legal, to seek the intercesSion of the courts
But failing there, he placed himself in an I'M
tenable position insofar as continuing the lead
erShip of the department is concerned. Whether
or not he might have remained had there been
a different finding by the DOCTORS his continued
presence as superintendent of police would have
been unnatural. There might have been a repe-
tition of the fantastic situation that arose during
the House investigation of the police when the
Commissioners supplied the Police Department
with special counsel to advise and defend
Major Barrett. In every investigation, and there
have been three of them during Major Barrett's
stormy tenure, the superintendent of police has
been on the defensive.
The superintendent of police should not
be on the defensive in an investigation of the
department. Such an attitude may be explained
by type of aggressive loyalty to the force. But
it is misguided loyalty We have good police
force. 1t is manned, on the whole, by honest
men. Every one of them, from the chief down,
should be guided by the same motives that lie
behind any investigation and should work to
discover and discard any rotten apples that
may be in the barrel
The Senate investigation should now pro-
ceed with the assistance of the new superintend-
ent. If jtis unable to turn up anything between
now and the date fixed for expiration of its
authority at the end of January, its authority
should be renewed without question. 1t is highly
important that the investigation be completely
thorough, and that the ugly gossip and rumor
which have been so conspicuous in recent years
be cleared away by findings Of fact which will
demand respect.