Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-03-01 | Page 6 | The New Chief's Job

I V The New Chiefs Chief's Job V THE HE WHOLE COMMUNITY doubtless feels feels- 1 I gratified over action by the city commission commissi n nin V In f finally nally terminating the situation which had left the police department without a chief This is js by no means to imply that Acting Chief Record showed any shortcomings whatever The fact is Is that he well weIl deserved the good words said to tobun him bun in the commission chambers Monday He had stepped into an irksome job handled it to the general satisfaction The arrangement however however how how- ever was recognized as temporary and the public public pub pub- lic could not feel the sense of security essential in In a well weIl ordered community Within the police department itself stopgap measures were already beginning to have a demoralizing effect Now that the atmosphere is cleared full confidence should return to the public mind and a stabilizing force manifest itself among the department per per- Colonel William C. C Webb the new ew chief needs no introduction to this community where he has been an almost lifelong His more than 40 years' years military service has been highlighted by brilliant performance with the Utah batteries in the Philippines with his own battery on the Mexican border in 1916 as commanding officer o of the field artillery during the World war in exacting assignments in the regular army since the war I It is a primary responsibility of the municipal government as represented by the whole body of the city commission to maintain a police department department depart depart- ment at maximum efficiency and effectiveness To the mayor as commissioner of p public safety special responsibilities are assigned and the chief of police is the commissioners commissioner's executive officer immediately accountable to him for the organization tion morale and performance of duty within the police department This must presuppose that the city commission has a well defined policy on police matters that there is harmony and full cooperation among all concerned in carrying it out that mutual confidence exists and that at no notime notime notime time shall there be any compromise with individual individual indi indi- vidual or group responsibility By no other means may public respect and confidence be won and held V J Within the police department itself there have been woeful shortcomings dating back into past administrations Apart from recent shocking graft charges factionalism jealousies insubordination insubordination insubordination z nation inefficiency and misconduct have not es escaped escaped escaped es- es p public attention To ro remove these from the department will be an arduous task for the new chief To meet it Chief Webb must be able to command the unswerving loyalty of his under officers and they must exact it from the men over whom they are set We hope the city government and ad Chief Webb are minded to abandon stunting by the police department Spasmodic campaigns and ballyhoo ballyhoo bally bally- I hoo have no place in police work and never have V brought results In their heir place the need is for relentless impartial vigilant and intelligent law enforcement day in and day out The public will applaud and sustain the chief and his men if this policy is adopted and doggedly followed 5 V Salt Lake City's greatest shame is its impotency impotency impotency im- im potency in the handling of traffic matters This V is fundamentally a police responsibility The mounting death and accident record on the city's streets is proof enough that it has not has not been met Education of of- drivers has fallen far short of results Enforcement of the traffic laws has not notI I reached worst offenders Despite record in n police court and the courageous conscientious impartial and reasoned policies of Judge Reva Rev Beck Bosone the record of death and destruction and of terror and bodily injury is a finger pointing pointing point point- V ing to enforcement failure Among Chief Webbs Webb's immediate tasks must be a searching study of this problem each day growing more grave more perilous and more shameful The Telegram congratulates Chief Webb on his appointment wishes him abundant success