Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-19
IA Park Police
Cases Swamp
Juvenile
Judge Cockrill
And Stuff Kept
Busy All Day
By SIZED EVANS

A difference in the way Park
Police and the Metropolitan po-
/ lice handle juvenile offenders
was revealed yesterday in Juven-
lille Court when Judge Edith H.
CockrilI and her staff were
swamped with cases involving A
boys charged with disorderly con-
duct.
Judge Cockrill was on the
bench from $3.50 am. until 6
pm. with a 20-ninute lunch
break before the calendar was
exhausted. Afterwards it seemed
evident that much of the time
and work spent hearing the
cases could have been saved.
Seventy Ave per cent OF the
boys, all colored except one. were
dismissed with warnings.
After the day was over, Judge
Cockrill said she had no COM
ment, except one, on the un-
|precedented calendar: II will talk
I to Chief Stewart (head of the
Park Police).
The grind at court resulted
from Chief Stewards order April
In that completely changed his
departments handling Of juve-
nile cases.
Arrest Cases Screened
The new order directed that
all juveniles arrested by Park
Police were to be turned over to
Juvenile Court for action unless.
in special cases, a superior officer
ordered otherwise.
Formerly, Park Police had a
screening operation much like
that of the Metropolitan Police.
Ia juvenile was arrested. brought
Ito headquarters with his parents
and interviewed. If he had no
record and if the offense was
minor, the boy often was re-
LEASED with a warning. Conse-
uuently, many hundreds of jul
Ivenile cases were handled at the
first level> and were not sent to
the already-overtaxed juvenile
court.
| But because Of "a furry of
publicity" arising from a Juve-
mile Court Advisory Committee
meeting. Chief Stewart sa'< he
I"reconsidered" his activities.
ut was apparent to- me that
| the Juvenile Court wanted to
have an opportunity to make up
Its mind about our handling OF
these cases." he asserted. "Over
the years the responsibility in
our department for determining
whether cases should go to court
has drifted. sometimes to one
person and then to some one else.
Our boys are not trained to do
this determining" the police Of
fetal said.
Kelly to Investigate
Chief Stewart assured The
Star he had no quarrel with
Juvenile Court. Edward j. Kelly.
superintendent of the National
Capital Parks, commented: II
knew nothing about this. I'll
look into it Monday. If there is
a lack of cooperation between
Park Police and the Juvenile
Court. we ought to get together"
The situation came about when
I34 boys were brought to court
Ion charges of disorderly conduct
April 26 and 20 at the Strate's
Carnival, then encamped at Ok
lahoma avenue and Benning
road NE. This is Park Police
Territory. More than a score OF
Park Police. were on hand fol
trouble because there had beer
previous outbreaks of juvenile
vandalism there.
According to police, gangs Of
youths roamed the carnival
: grounds demanding rides which
they hadn't paid for, stealing
tickets and generally behaving
: boisterously.
A few admitted carousing but
more denied it. Denying it didn't
help eight who already were pro.
bationers to the court. Theil
cases were referred to the pro.
baton department for a report
next week.
Lack of Evidence
/ But denial or not, most of the
boys were dismissed because Of
an almost total lack of evidence
presented by the arresting Of.
lf1cers.
Judge Cockrill repeatedly asked
officers if they had brought any
| witnesses to the alleged viola,
tons. The answer invariably wal
NO" !,
: Over and over Judge Cockril
asked the officers if they hac
asked the children any questions
or if they had made any investi'
cation after the arrests. Tit
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