Evening star., 1953-04-29
Police fol Push
All Charges in
Nu|tip|eCases
Put Responsibility
On U. S. Attorney foI
Any Reductions

The police force was under
new orders today to offer every
case for presentation to the
grand jury, where the defendant
is charged with multiple crimes
and to keep an exact record
OF what happens to every case.
Under the new order, il police
charge a man with 80 house.
breakings all 80 Cases will be
taken to the United States at
torney's Office for presentation
to the grand jury.
If an assistant United States
attorney takes only four Of the
80-as frequently happens-po-
lice will mark all the other cases
mo papers" A record will go
in the defendants file showing
how many cases were offered,
how many were accepted and
by whom.
This tightened-up procedure.
Police Chief Robert v. Murray
said. already has been in effect
about a month in the Detective
Bureau.
1O2 Charges, One Case.
The decision to spell it out
in an order to the force came
after Elmer H. Drew, 20, was
charged by police with 102
housebreakings but the statement
of facts in only one case was
offered for presentation to the
grand jury.
Drew was given a suspended
sentence and put on probation
last Friday by Judge Edward M.
Curran after he pleaded guilty
to the only case on which he
was indicted. When protest
arose over the light sentence,
it developed that the other cases
had not been presented-al-
though marked "g.j.," the usual
symbol to show the case had
been presented to the grand
jury.
The new order has the effect
OF putting total responsibility on
the United States Attorneys Of
f1ce for any reduction in the
number Of cases against a de-
fendant.
The Star. in a recent series
OF articles, showed that police
have not offered every case be-
cause they knew some would be
rejected. Then, the assistant
United States attorney in charge
OF presenting cases to the grand
jury has reduced the number
even more, the assistant in
charge of trying the cases has
made further reductions in ex-
change for guilty pleas and the
judge frequently has given con-
current sentences in the remain
ing cases. In other words, The
Star series showed, by process
OF elimination a prisoner charged
by police with 80 crimes fire.
quently winds up with one
sentence.
New Procedure Outlined,
The new police procedure takes
police out Of this process of
elimination. Under the new
order. this procedure will be
followed:
l. The arresting officer, wher-
ever he charges a defendant
with multiple crimes, shall make
a statement Of facts.
2. He shall take two copies of
the statement of facts to the
grand jury room and present
them in person to the assistant
United States Attorney in charge
OF presenting cases to the grand
jury, or his agent, explaining the
number of cases and the avail
able evidence.
3. The officer shall make rec
ord in the defendants file show
ing the number of cases pre-
sented to the grand jury division,
the number accepted, the name
Of the person to whom the cases
were presented and the date of
presentation.
4. If the cases are rejected for
presentation to the grand jury,
they should be marked mo pa
pers." Only cases actually pre-
sented to the grand jury will
carry the "g.j." disposition in
police records.
Each officer will be held
strictly responsible for each case
assigned to him to see that it is