Year: 1866

THEY HAVE TO CoNTEED-SINGULAR Con-
DUCT OF MAYOR MAY0.-On the day before
Yesterday, Major. Claiborne, the Chief of
the Police, under special instructions from
Mayor Mayo, issued orders that no men,
ber of the police force should make an
arrest unless he we're provided with a
warrant, or unless he sa,o the occurrence
for which the arrest was to be made, or
had some strong circumstantial evidence,
such as ga severe wound or bloody nose"
The plain and practical result of this order
will be to cause number Of offenders to go
scot free and unpunished. Suppose, for In.
stance that q citizen is knocked down and
sends for policeman to arrest the person
who assaults him. The policeman ar
rives, but his hands are tied, and, accord
ing to Mayor Mayo, no arrest can be made
unless the citizen is so unfortunate as to
have a "deep wound or a bloody nose."
Let a man break into your house, or steal
your horse, or palm off upon you bundle
of counterfeit notes, and make MS
escape, although identified; and if you
meet that man upon the street and
recognize him, you cannot have him
arrested unless the identical policeman
you call on has witnessed the offence,
or unless the accused has the horse
or the counterfeit money in his hand
or unless one or the other of the par
test does not seem to matter winch
has the aforesaid "sum owned or bloody
nose" Such orders as these are worse
than nonsense In all the large cities OF
this country and of Europe the police have
a discriminating, power, and make arrests
whenever in their opinion there is good
and sufficient cause. The men have their
professional standing at heart, and it sell
dom occurs that an arrest is maliciOusly or
improperly made. This is the plan that
should be adopted in this city; for if no
policeman is allowed to make an arrest un-
less he has the warrant in his pocket, or
saw the offence committed, the efficiency
of the police i'll protecting our lives and
properties must, III spite OF all their Ell
forts, soon be at an end.


In nearly every city ofany size but Rich
mond the evidence Of a policeman is, other
things being equal, always taken in prefer
ence to that of any one other person. 1t
is considered that he is the guardian Of the
community, and the magistrates or mayors
support and sustain him in all that he does
in the legal execution OF his duty. A
very different state of things exists IN tins
city. No matter what his energy or tide-
litv, the policeman is frequently snubbcd
and slightcd by the Mayor, and finds that
his evidence is considered OF but little
value, if it is not diSregarded altogether.
lie may spend days and weeks in working
up case, only to have the melancholy
pleasure Of finding the offender acquitted.
No matter what he may do, no matter
what he may say, he receives no encou-
ragcmcnt or support from the Mayor, who
has, er Cfci0, the control of the city po-
lice.


These facts cannot well come to the
public ear through private channels, and
it is but an act of Justice to the police
force that the difficulties under which
they labor should be known and appre-
ciatcd. Every power that is granted to
any policeman in any city in the north,
may be safely given to the Richmond
police. The men who compose the force
are of no common order. They are not
the drcgs of the population. They are
educated, intelligent, faithful men, who
have the instincts and feelings of gentle
men, and together form police force of
which Richmond has cause to be proud.
But these men, who have reduced this
city from condition OF riot and dis
order to one of unexamplcd peace
and quiet, cannot continue to work
with the old enthusiasm if the Mayor
persists in his present policy. He may
think that word of praise or encourage
mcnt is of but little value, and this may
possibly be true; but Major Claiborne and
his officers and men require to know that
they are supported by the Mayor, and that
in all their actions they have his firm sup
port and cordial cooperation. Surely
Mayor Mayo will now think of the impor-
tancc of the interests at stake. At the
time of his election il was rumorcd that he
was opposed to the present police, and ms
conduct seems TO give some color to the
idea. Let him, then, change his system,
and he may be assured that, if he will 60
hand in hand with our police, it ,ciN be bet
lei, for him, better for hem, and better for the
citizens Of Richmond.