Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-14
Arlington Ends
Ban on Police
Wiretapping
Prohibition Invites
Crime, Board Told
By Hosson, Fowver
BY JOHN BARRON
star Staff Writer

The Arlington County Board
secretly has authorized police
toresume overlapping.
Its decision, made at an I'M
announced and closed confer
ence January 26, ends a ban
imposed upon electronic caves
dropping in 1860.
Board members were influ-
enced by Commemorative At
torney william Hassan and Po-
ice Major William Fawver who
asserted that the prohibition
has invited an influx of Or
ganized crime into Arlington.
The number and identity of
the gangsters who may have
been attracted to the county
were not specified.
Letter to Manager
When a reporter who had
learned of the January 26
meeting asked about it today,
Board Chairman Ernest D. Wilt
handed him a copy of a conf
Dental letter which he sent to
County Manager A. T. Lund-
berg February 2. The letter
states:
LAS you know, at a recent
executive meeting of the board
on January 26, we discussed
with you a matter of permit
ting overlapping by the police
department, and agreed that,
subject to the approval of Mr..
Hassan, the police might again
tap wires. We further agreed
not to make this decision pub
lie for a period of time as it
was represented to us by the
chief of police that it would
be advantageous to them to
have a delay in the release of
the information to the public
concerning this change in
policy.
II know that I speak for a
majority of the County Board
when I say that we feel that
overlapping should be done
only with the approval of a
court of proper Jurisdiction.
However, as you know, Mr.. Har-
rison Mann Gan Arlington legis-
lator) told the board that
, there was no chance of getting
such legislation passed in Rich
mond and in view of this
statement and the representa-
lions made to us on January
26 by Mr.. Hassan, you and the
chief Of police. the board
agreed that, as the best prac-
tical substitute, we would agree
to overlapping with the APP
proval of both Mr.. Hassan and
the County Manager.
I'VE feel strongly, however,
that this change in policy
should be made public at an
early date and, while we do
not wish to deprive the Police
Department of what they say
is a substantial advantage, we
do wan; to fix a date for the
release of this information. Will
you please advise me as soon
as possible what date you think
would be proper"
AS of today, no date for dis
closure of the new policy had
been set.
painful Decision"
After learning that a story
about the overlapping was
being published today, Thomas
Richards, vice chairman of the
board, said:
This was a painful decision
for us. We repeatedly made
clear our distaste for wire
tapping and our emphatic con-
viction that it should be strictly
controlled by the courts.
However, shocking evidence
was presented Co us concerning
serious criminal situations de-
veloping in Arlington County
and we were given professional
advice that authority for wire
tapping is necessary to counter
them.
$50 we seem to have no al
tentative but to try to establish
the best safeguards we could
pending transfer of this serious
responsibility to the court"
The board in 1860 forbade
the tapping of telephones upon
the recommendation Of a citi-
See WIRETAPPING, Page A