Show city of washington not overrun by bogus agencies stringent law passed by congress some years ago agoo one of the blessings for which washington people should be thankful although as a matter of fact very lit tie tle is known ot of the matter Is the district law as to private detectives with the exception of washington every city in the united states is 13 over run with private detectives and irre fake agencies the common law ot of every state in the union pro vides that in the absence of police officials sheriffs or constables any citizen may exercise the powers of an officer either in preventing crime or arresting the perpetrators this law is not generally known and detective agencies of the kind above mentioned take tale advantage of the same to make capital out of it they place advertisements in the coun try papers calling for men who ac cording to the ad they desire to em ploy as detectives the advertise ment generally reads that no empen ence is necessary etc and as a re suit every now and then some guileless country youth eager tor for fame and notoriety will write to the agency for particulars receiving an answer to the effect that if he will send 5 they the detective agency will enroll him as one of their employed emp loyes send him a badge and assign him to territory which in every case is the town in which he lives i it the rustic who allows himself to be duped in this manner and hun deeds are taken in every year in the south and west does not discover that he has paid 5 tor for a privilege that the common law allows to eve every ry member of society then sooner or later he will get himself into all man ner of amusing scrapes in trying to play old sleuth the laws of the district permit no such nonsense according to the law that congress passed several years ago any person who desires to become a private detective or establish a detective agency must be appointed by the chief of police be approved by the district commissioners and give a substantial bond of 10 in some one or other of the big bond or trust companies the peti penalty alty tor for any one who violates this law by attempting to establish an agency or doing detective work is eleven months and twenty nine days imprisonment or fine or both at the discretion of the court washington is thus the only city in the united states that has this law and before it was passed there were forty one detective agencies in the city whereas now there are only three washington post some men know just enough to make fools of themselves |