Show HUMILIATING BUT JUST How humiliated tho good citizens of Salt LaKe were on Wednesday morning when they read the following in the report of the city council proceedings Whereas This council recognizes that it lathe la-the duty of the police department of this city to enforce strictly and Impartially all the laws and municipal ordinances Including those pertaining per-taining to gaming and houses of prostitution andWhereas Whereas By their neglect of duty In tHis particular par-ticular the chief of police and his subordinates have brought and are bringing scandal upon the administration of the government of the city and Whereas Further their neglect and disregard dis-regard of their duty in this respect has been made the occasion of judicial censure and the attempt on the part of the grand jury and United States marshal to enforce territorial statutes on this subject and Whereas This condition of affairs Is to be deplored de-plored in that it tends to bring the municipal government Into contempt and to promote ill feeling and jealousy among officers of the law who should operate for the protection of the citizens Now therefore be it resolved That it is the sense of the council that the chief of police should and he is exhorted that it is his duty to enfsrce all the laws and ordinances of the city and in all lawful ways to assist in carrying out the same especially those relating to tile offenses named above Signed F H HYDE W J T0DUENIIAM U A FOLtiAKD A J PENDLETOIS M K PAKSOKS W F JAMES W H H SPAFFOHD J R W YOUNG O H HARDY These whereases and resolution wtro adopted by the almost unanimous vote of the council but two members voting no and one of these explaining that he was in favor of the declaration and instruction but was opposed to designating special offenses of-fenses against tho ordinances Thus we find the municipal legislature without regard to party politics openly arraigning the police department for neglect of duty and bringing the city into contempt and the administration into disgrace It is doubted that at any time in any other city such proceedings were ever before taken Individual In-dividual members of a municipal government govern-ment havo denounced the police but entire councils have not heretoforo fauna it necessary to procla m the lawlessness of the city in order to impress upon the polica department that crime is prevalent through the neglect of the municipal constabulary Wo bay the decent members of the community commu-nity were ashamed when they read the indictment in-dictment but nobody feels like censuring the council On tho contrary everybody realizes that the presentment is true in every count and grieves because it is true It is occasion for sorrow as well as chagrin cha-grin that the city is so badly policed that the council can indulge in such a severe denunciation and nobody can rise up to dispute dis-pute the allegations and present an excuse for the neglectful officials It will bo observed that the arraignment is i of the chief of police and his subordinates subordin-ates Tho latter or a good many of them when charged with failure to enforce the ordinances are understood to excuse and shield themselves behind their superiors saying thoy could not act except by direction direc-tion of the department omcials It has also been said that if a policeman manifested zeal in the matter of suppressing certain crimes he was changed to beats where these offenses would not como under his observation What of truth there is in this we cannot say but it is scandalous that the stories go out and there is no attempt at-tempt oat refutation The action of the council including the subordinates subordi-nates in the arraignment for neglect indicates that the latter are held partly responsible re-sponsible for the awful condition of things and should put the patrolmen who are really eager to perform their duty upon their mettle We take It that tim council will stand by the policeman who makes legitimate arrests ior offenses on his boat or within his knowledge even though the department officials do not give specific orders for these arrests and do not want the offenders interfered with At any rate the patrolman who knows what tho duty cia ci-a police officer is and is willing to perform that duty should feel now that ho has I the sanction and support of the council I and with that backing ho can afford to incur in-cur tho displeasure even of a superior who would stand between him and the attempted at-tempted enforcement of the law THE HEIIALD hopes that the stinging censurd administered by the council will I have an effect upon the police department and that hereafter the ordinances will bo enforced such a manner as to give thoj federal marshal no shadow of excuse for I employing the power of the national government gov-ernment in doing local police duty This will be the effect if the officers in the department de-partment are not unworthy the places they occupy |