Show FIRE AND POLICE COJOIISSIOXERS I LAW I The proposed amendments to the I Board of Police and Fire Commissioners I Commission-ers law is attracting considerable attention at-tention both inside and outside the legislature Some propose the repeal Of the law outright a much greater number favor the proposed amendments amend-ments and a few favor the law as it stands Some of the last class named insist however that the law might as well be repealed as have it amended I as proposed Whatever else the legislature does we hope for the efficiency of the police po-lice and fire departments in our chief cities the law will not be repealed It is better to have it with all its present pres-ent imperfections on its head than not to have it at all but infinitely better to have it with the greater number of its imperfections removed as would be the case if the proposed substitute now pending before the legislature leg-islature were adopted Some fear that if the power to dismiss men from the police or fire departments shall be I I granted to the chiefs of said departments depart-ments that power will be used arbitrarily arbi-trarily without sufficient cause and perhaps for political reasons To those who take that view of the case we would say that the substitute for the law provides that the chiefs in dismissing dis-missing a man may only do so for cause and a statement of that cause i must be made to the board oi com missioners in writing These chiefs I are themselves made liable to arbitrary i arbi-trary dismissal by the unanimous action ac-tion of the board and may be dismissed I for cause by a majority of its members so that with this check on the chiefs we see little < liability liabil-ity to abuse of the power it is proposed pro-posed to give these heads of departments depart-ments If it shall be said that a weak board may be appointed or some members may be purposely appointed upon it who are weak and that the weak are liable to become the creatures of some stronger character on the board or in the city government we admit that all that may be true Human contrivances con-trivances in government are necessarily necessar-ily imperfect and the bulwarks that men erect against abuses are not always al-ways sufficient to carry out the object ob-ject proposed Under such circumstances circum-stances men must do the best they can and trust a little to time to regulate some of these things Over and above all officers and all boards appointed I by law in our commonwealth presides pre-sides as a great and final arbiter on the actions of officers and political i I parties an enlightened public sentiment senti-ment If abuses arise under the law by the arbitrary and unjust acts of men public sentiment will reprove and I finally dismiss the unfaithful servants I and ultimately will correct even the I imperfections of the law or at least greatly modify them I Meantime our chief cities require more efficiency and less insubordination insubordina-tion and scandal in their police and I fire departments more confidence among the men and more respect for the officers and that this can be secured se-cured by the proposed amendments to the present law admits of no doubt The chiefs of departments being under the supervision of the board of COmmissioners com-missioners and all under the influence influ-ence of intelligent public opinion it is reasonably certain that abuses will not long run unchecked |