Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-04-23 | Page 15 | Having Fun with Our Laws

r it Having Havin Fun Wi With h Our Laws s 1 rONE E of the he difficulties with modern law enforcement is that those in charge of administration sometimes forget to t take ke it se seri seri- sen- sen i- i usty The city of Cleveland now announces painless plan for enforcing the traffic regul regu- regu l Instead of f permitting the tle law to tot t ke its course in iii the matter of infractions bf bf the traffic rules rules Cleveland now permits me e offender to give the arresting officer a nation f for tor r charity The plan is hailed as s a success pr proponents declaring that it makes offenders pay with a Q t smile aiding iding a od cause and rebuking the tr traffic violator r Nf f r his offense Perhaps the departure is more of oJ a p publicity pub pub- b- b ity stunt than any serious endeavor on the thep pirt p rt of the authorities to brin bring about a thorough thoro thor thor- o ough gh enforcement of the traffic laws Nevertheless Nevertheless Never Never- th less it it must appear to the thinking citizen t that qt uniform law enforcement is impossible n the laws are used are used as is a t publicity medium The Cleveland plan would appear to be more 9 rot of a system for soliciting soliciting- bribes than a t serious effort to uphold the law It is undignified t unlawful and dangerous f. f y Not only does it reduce respect for the l law w giving the citizenship the idea that the theL J. J laws ys ws are sire something to to be played with but ut it ii L pens opens the gates for dishonest police officers I What could be sweeter for the unscrupulous patrolman n than official permission to collect coiled L funds from offending inK motorists ts There appears ap ap- pears to tobe be nothing m. m in the plan t to prevent L e dishonest officer from selecting his charity chanty even eyen to diverting it to his own uses The 1 Cleveland leveland police department apparently is Usurping a f function which h properly belongs Ith the judicial branch the of of of- government Q b besides sides diverting public money to to tp irre irregular Channels and op opening hing the w way y to graft within he ranks l