Show THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR POLICE by by- by William B. B I. Seattle Chief of Police 1922 to 1926 I I I I i I Just how the opportunity for r g-r graft t Is Ia increased by the dry law lawis lawis lawIs is shown by the w work rk of the Seattle I dry squad whose head has been I Indicted just recently for conspiracy acy Here is the inside story y of the squad As I write this all members orthe of or the squad except two are under Indictment and facing trial f l' l alleged alleged al- al eged conspiracy Without commenting com corn men tins on the guilt or innocence of these men I can say I am not surprised 1 For Kor two years I fought to abolish the dry squad for I feared It was leading lending toward trouble Before Defore Dr Browns Brown's second campaign for the mayoralty we agreed on this but found that to abolish ft it just bf fore forea a political campaign would be a mistake It would have antagonized many pers persons ns and our enemies would have seized on it to bolster up their charges of police grato Finally wo WI agreed to continue the squad until after election and then to get rid of oft it We Yo won von but we did not abolish the squad The rea rca reason reason son for this failure lies embedded deeply in the inner politics of ot the city But to continue Payment m made to crooked politicians politicians clans by law violators Is termed in ll uv-l uv iLu 01 Li 01 UL in Ln C. C 11 1 I took office I I. I found much hard feeling feeling feel feel- ing lag between patrolmen and the men menon menon on the special squads It appeared I that the nut demanded by the pa patrolman patrolman patrolman pa- pa was endangered by the nut demanded by bv the special squads Some refused to pay both and the canny ones withheld payment payment payment pay pay- ment pending settlement ment of the dis dis- dis- dis lUt As it stood neither policeman policeman policeman police police- man man mannor nor special squad member could guarantee protection Then there was another nothel handicap Honest policemen who did not want dives on their beats were wore suppo supposed cd to report them to the dry squad for raiding But should But should the policeman policeman policeman police police- man proceed on his own initiative and and should he take a place paying a nut to squad then he found himself in trouble Many good men were wre transferred to suburban beats beatson on trumped up charges through the hostility of ot the over these acts My first dry squad was headed by bv Lieutenant J. J J. J Haag This squad operated for about three months for Haag apparently was vas not too aggressive Then a new ew squad was formed with sith Sergeant Crawford an anold anold anold old department warhorse as its head He was the choice of Inspector tor Harry OBrien The Tue new squad also proved unsatisfactory RESORT KEEPERS HOWL From the very first women keepers keep keep- ers of resorts came to my office to complain of the nut the various squads were demanding They did not seem to object to paying the patrolman on the beat In fact It Itis Itis Itis is hard to tell in such cases where the tip ends and the nut begins Usually the gifts gilts arc are to insure adequate adequate adequate ade ade- ade- ade quate police interference in the event of trouble with drunken loggers loggers loggers log log- gers miners and other roisterers Often though there Is a twofold purpose the second being protection protection tion lion against raids Finally taking all au ll of these things into consider Ion I named Collier Could to head the squad he to choose his own men He was a diplomat who got along well with the district at attorney attorney attorney at- at torney a political enemy of the mayor mayOl and with the federal dry force with which the mayor constantly constantly constantly con con- was VaS at war But he took the mayors mayor's public statement of policy all too literally This statement statement state state- ment mont was I dont don't want moonshine or poison poison poison poi poi- son liquor sold in this town Consequently Collier vent ent ent ou out after atter the commercial hard for a time seizing a still sUlI a day A grand jury investigation followed and Collier was vas called as a witness because he can be trusted to tell the truth A FALSE ISSUE But there here were continued com corn complaInts plaints An election was approaching approach approach- ing and the papers and the reformers reform reform- howled that bootleggers ers ems were being Finally Finall It be became became became be- be came a campaign Issue It seemed that the papers could not print an anI 1 I edition without s caustic caustic I along this line Une appearing appearing- in news or editorial columns I The war between Mayor Brown and and the federal officers became more and more bitter each blaming the other for failures in law en en- en The federal men were wele especially bitter for as I already have related we cl closed sed the city jail to them after they had attempted to hold prisoners illegally without a hearing before a federal commis commis- Again we have the reformers the preachers and the of the newspapers howling against the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration and particularly the I I 1 police department It was a time of gnawed fingernails and much I hearty cursing As a result a false issue was built up in the campaign It was made to appear that Dr Brown would be reelected if it the people wanted the dry law enforced as it had been i. i e. e so that the men who really wanted liquor could call can their bootlegger bootlegger boot boot- legger and get it Inversely if the people really wanted the town closed down tight they must defeat defeat defeat de de- de- de feat Dr Brown THEY SWALLOW A TRIAL I do not think the mayor wanted this kind of ot an issue I do not think that during his first term in office otice Dr Brown thought that such an Issue would evolve itself from his policies But it did so result and there was s no possible way of ot changing it It had to be accepted tacitly and tactfully If it not altogether altogether alto alto- geth gether r openly Thus his own acts and the work worl of his enemies forced the mayor actually ao- ao to seem to run on on a platform in defense of the wide open town Those rhose elements particularly the underworld which wanted the town open accepted the issue an l an l went to ht It t for fw 1 the mayor And Andin Andin in all this iIi ili of the police dry squad v w factor actor of ot the utmost ut utmost utmost ut- ut most political 11 The sporting fraternity the dance hall hail and those who dealt In and dr drank liquor liquor all all were part of the battle lineup In their minds mind the mayors mayor's supposed attitude toward the dry law and the dry squad was most important Copyright I Cosmos Newspaper per S Syndicate Inc Through the American Free Flee Press I |