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Show SPECIAL OFFICER IS REL1EVEDJJF STAR Denial Is Made That Auto Owners Caused His Dismissal. Special to The Tribune. OGBEN-, July 1 That a police officer could become no active In the discharge of hi official duties as to work himself out of a Job, Is the comment which Is being freely expressed following tho dismissal dis-missal of Special Officer William Reast from the police service of the city. Although Al-though it was entirely unexpected. Officer Offi-cer Reast has shared tho fate of Patrolmen Patrol-men 1 nomas Blackburn and Peter N'ay-nn, N'ay-nn, victims of the retrenchment order is-sui is-sui "y tne clty commissioners. Charges of influence and special privileges privi-leges which havo been made grow out of the fact that Officer Reast was the speed specialist" of the police department. depart-ment. To him fell tho unpleasant task of arresting tho auto driver and motorcycle motor-cycle rider who allowed his eye to wan-2rJrftm wan-2rJrftm th. speedometer. And to say that tho crippled officer for he lost a leg ln a street car accident was efficient effi-cient is but mildly stating it. He was the motorist's notion of Titanic persistence, persist-ence, No officer in the department can show an arrest record equal to that of Reast. Commissioner S. T. Browning, superintendent superin-tendent of public safety, has denied that anything other than the desire to cut down expenses affected the dismissal of the officer. In spite of this, however, ru-morc ru-morc of complaints on the part of Influential Influ-ential auto owners of the city are heard on every hand. It also waa not announced at the lime of the notice to the other two patrolmen that the speed officer was to co on July 1. "No complaint was made to tho commissioners com-missioners regarding the actlvitv of Mr. Reast.' said Mr. Browning this "evening. When it waa decided to reduce tho number of officers the plan was evolved to dispense with a special speed officer and instruct every patrolman to give attention at-tention to the motorists on his beat. Thero are no grounds for the charge that undue influence was brought to bear ln the dismissal of Mr. Reast." |