Evening star., 1953-09-04
Arrests Soar
In |n4Categories
0f.vioIations
Murroy's Report
Points to Activities
Of Morals Division

a bNtSb~uS ~tVISuVtu
A sharp increase in the num-
ber of arrests of persons violating
gambling, prostitution, drug and
whisky laws was reported today
by Police Chief Robert v. Muir
ray.
Results of the operations of
the new Morals Division in these
fields were contained in Chief
Murray's annual report covering
the fiscal year ending last June
80. The Commissioners made the
report public today.
"The organization of the Nor
ais Division has proven most sat-
isfactory," Chief Murray said.
Prostitution arrests totaled 664,
compared to 493 the previous
year; narcotics violations totaled
1,099 as compared to 767; liquor
law violations, 1884 as COM
pared to 1897 and gambling vio-
lations 1,478 as compared to
1878.
Total arrests in these cate
gories were 5,125, compared to
4,435 the previous year and 81
848 the year before that.
Acute Personnel Problems.
Chief Murray said the Metro
politan Police Department was
afflicted with an acute personnel
problem during the year. In
ability to recruit men and resig-
nations of many officers reduced
the number of men actually COM
batting crime, he said.
He said the average number
Of men assigned to prevention
and detection of crime was only
837 a day. The year before the
average was $50 and the year
before that 979.
He said 96 policemen resigned
during the year, most of them
to take better paying jobs. The
year before, 88 resigned while
back in 1850, only 81 resigned.
Retention Of men and recruit
ment of new policemen probably
will be helped by the new pay
increase voted by Congress this
summer, he commented.
Crime Rate Jumps.
The police chief pointed out
that the crime rate in Washing
ton rose 20.7 per cent, while the
national average increased only
80 per cent during 1852. He
said extra hours worked by
police voluntarily after last De-
cember caused the increase in
crime here to stabilize by jan
uary and begin to fall off in
February.
"The adverse publicity re-
ceived by some members of the
police force during 1852 as a
result of congressional crime
hearings probably contributed
much to the increase of criminal
activity, since such criticism
frequently lowers public esteem
for the entire force" Chief Muir
ray commented, adding:
This is also thought to be a
major factor in the increase of
crime among juveniles of this
city.
such Investigations do much
to improve police service to the
community, however, and while
the immediate effect of adverse
criticism leveled at the police is
detrimental to both the morale
of the force and it's effectiveness
in the prevention and detection
of crime, the more enduring eff
fectS such as improved police ad-
ministration and increased per-
sonal responsibility among police
officers are beneficial to both the
department and the citizens of
the community"
Chief Murray said he is seek
ing to improve the force and
strengthen discipline "to such a
degree that any investigation can
be welcomed without apprehen-
Sion."
Procedures Studied.
He pointed out that the Dis
trict Department of General
Administration is undertaking a
study of the police administrative
procedures this year. Such a
study by an outside agency was
abandoned as too expensive.
Chief Murray summarized the
departments activities as fol-
lows:
During the fiscal year, 23.918
serious crimes were reported, of
which only 46 per cent were
closed. This is an increase of
So per cent over those in the
previous year. (The 20.7 per
cent crime rate increase referred
to earlier was based on the
calendar year 1852, not the fiscal
year,
Less serious offenses totaled
1858. for a Sc per cent increase.
A total of 249,745 arrests for
all offenses were made by police.