Police commissioner

“ The man on the beat may take a small bribe to overlook a breach of the law, but protection can no longer be purchased.” The Committee of Fourteen gives credit for this transformation largely to the “clean-up” movement started by Police Commissioner Cropsey under Mayor Gaynor, and continued and elaborated by Police Commissioner Arthur Woods under Mayor Mitchel’s administration. Some survivals of old standards still remain, particularly in the selection of policemen too much for physical capacity and not enough for technical intelligence as applied to detective work. ”

“ Churches, women's clubs, civic and business [Pg 235] organizations, groups of citizens and prominent men and women of the city were outspoken in their praise of the police commissioner, hailing him as the "man of the hour." A well known minister addressed a mass meeting at his church, his subject being "Police Commissioner Gibson's Remarkable Success and the Disgrace of Having a Mayor Who Fails to Do His Duty." Other preachers delivered sermons extolling Gibson, one of the sermons being advertised as "A Modern Crusader Against Graft, Booze, Boodle and Sin." ”

“ The Police Force is a disciplinary service and it is imperative in the interests of the State that its high standards of conduct should be maintained. To ensure this, it is necessary that the Commissioner should have ample powers to regulate and review the behaviour and efficiency of all members of the Force. We think that all powers vested in the Commissioner of Police under existing law should continue to be vested in him and that all powers now vested in the High Commissioner or the Secretary of State should be vested in the Commission. ”

“ This commission ought to be composed in part of graduates of West Point, in part of captains of police in sympathy with the work, the police commissioner, and one or two civilians, of whom one at least should be a lawyer thoroughly versed in municipal affairs. There is an old adage that, "A commission is a noun of multitude which may signify many, but seldom signifying much;" but we have equally good authority that, "In a multitude of counselors is safety." ”

“ The directing mind in this case was that of Commissioner George Dougherty, executive head of the detectives of the New York Police Department. Thousands of clean, ambitious young fellows are constantly putting on the policeman’s uniform all over the country, and rising to places as detectives and officials. The manufacturer or merchant may find himself in the police commissioner’s chair. ”

“ Bingham, Commissioner of Police. Since last Monday, when the police muffled the strident voices of the “cash-for-clo’” men as a consequence of his belief that there was entirely too much unnecessary noise in this town, the dealers have accumulated bitterness in their insides.
Therefore yesterday afternoon in the hall at 49 Henry street they howled their woes against the walls and let out pent up sounds. Principally, it appeared, their wrath was directed against the Police Commissioner. He was a tyrant. He was a czar. ”

“ Imperturbable, quiet-voiced, quiet-mannered, he sits planning the peace of London. He is playing a perpetual game of chess on the great board of the metropolis with twenty thousand men as his pieces [Pg 11] against a cosmopolitan fraternity of evil-doers who never rest. He is the one man in the service who must never make a mistake.
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police sleeps on no bed of roses. He must be as supple as willow, as rigid as steel, must possess the tact of a diplomatist, with the impartiality of a judge. ”

“ The President as head of the national executive must appoint a woman or a man as the National Commissioner of the police service, to control and manage the police service. (2)
The National Commissioner must exercise control over and manage the police service in accordance with the national policing policy and the directions of the Cabinet member responsible for policing. ”

“ After signing a paper written by Coquart, the judge put it into an envelope and handed it to the clerk of the Delegate’s office.
This is an indispensable auxiliary to justice. It is under the direction of a police commissioner, and consists of peace-officers who, with the assistance of the police commissioners of each district, carry into effect orders for searching the houses or apprehending the persons of those who are suspected of complicity in crimes and felonies. These functionaries in authority save the examining magistrates a great deal of very precious time. ”

“ If in any case the Commissioner considers that the public interest requires that any inspector, non-commissioned officer or constable should cease to exercise the powers and functions of his office instantly, he may interdict such officer from the exercise of such powers and functions provided that disciplinary or criminal proceedings are being instituted or are about to be instituted against such officer. ”

“ BEERMANN. The police have no business to do anything they will be sorry for later on. Good Lord, had the Commissioner only listened to me. An affair like this should not be treated in such a purely business-like way.
STROEBEL. The Commissioner can only tell you the same thing. He cannot change the law.
BEERMANN. Anything can be done.
STROEBEL. Not at this stage. We could probably have prevented it had we known that this case would have such far-reaching consequences, but now here are the proofs. [Pointing to the diary.] No one in the world can destroy them, not even the Commissioner. ”

“ The men have better opportunities to advance themselves by making meritorious arrests, and the Commissioner knows that, as citizens see the police on duty, night after night, and crime decreases, there will be a growing good will for the department. ”

“ On 12 April 1843 he resigned his appointment as commissioner of police. He maintained the force in a high state of efficiency, and, though a rigid disciplinarian, was much liked and respected by the officers and men. ”

“ No less relentless in the search for efficiency are the promotion conditions. The Commissioner is an absolute autocrat so far as promotion is concerned, though, in practice, he usually acts upon the recommendation of the superintendents.
A constable, before he is promoted, must serve at least five years—in practice, the average is eight years—and must then pass two examinations. One of these is set by the Civil Service Commissioners to test his education, the other is an examination in police duty before a board of high officials. ”

“ Eventually, if a particular case, or any class of cases, becomes of such deep interest as to require the attention of Government—or if the Government has called for a report—it is the commissioner who has to represent the whole of the facts to Government, and it is then open to him to express his opinion unreservedly on the good or bad conduct of the police, and this is also his opportunity for pointing out to Government any defects that may have occurred in the judicial proceedings. ”

“ We accept that construction of the authority of the Police Commissioner under § 435 of the Charter, note 1, supra. See Price v. State of Illinois, 238 U.S. 446, 451, 35 S.Ct. 892, 894, 59 L.Ed. 1400; Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. N. O. Nelson Co., 291 U.S. 352, 358, 54 S.Ct. ”

“ On the institution of the metropolitan police force in 1829, he was appointed the chief commissioner, an office which he filled with great credit and ability. To his skilful guidance were mainly owing the speedy removal of the initial prejudices against the new police and the lasting success of the measure. ”

“ But the Mounted Police Force was not built on those lines. Their business was to keep avoidable shooting off the programme altogether either by themselves or others, and to effect that desirable end they must be self-controlled, disciplined and tactful men. In order to be of that type every man must get thorough groundwork training in the depôt division before he goes out with the possibility of being on detached duty at any moment. Successful insistence on these points of policy was one of Commissioner Perry's early achievements. ”

“ On the 21st of March, 1887, I wrote to Lord Dufferin regarding the relations of the district and police officers as follows: "The relations between Deputy Commissioners, District Superintendents (Civil Police) and Commandants (Military Police) are ill-defined and work badly, unless all are really good fellows. I have decided to keep the Commandant to his military work, and the District Superintendent of Police to the real civil police duty—intelligence, detection, and investigation. The Deputy Commissioner has by law supreme control and must exercise it.... ”

“ To a Police Committee consisting of some eighty members selected by the Common Council is delegated everything that concerns the pay, allowances, and financial business of the force; whilst all questions touching the discipline and disposal of the men under his command are referred to the Commissioner, who is thus supreme in his own department. ”

“ Subject to the directions of the Minister of Safety and Security, the National Commissioner shall be responsible for—
(a)
the maintenance of an impartial, accountable, transparent and efficient police service ”

“ The Commissioner may, at any time, discharge a police officer below the rank of inspector with at least 10 years’ service if, in the opinion of the Commissioner, it is desirable in the public interest to do so. ”

“ With the loyalty which in him, as in Sir Arthur Phayre, rose almost to a passion, Sir Charles Bernard did his utmost to carry out the wishes of Government. Beyond doubt or dispute, a burden far greater than any man should be asked to bear was placed upon the Chief Commissioner’s shoulders. Yet the Titan never showed signs of weariness. There were to be no Divisional Commissioners; district officers were to work under the Chief Commissioner’s orders. The provision for police, especially military police, was quite inadequate. The Secretariat staff was plainly insufficient. ”

“ With an elected board of police commissioners over it the police force was pretty certain to be demoralized, of course, as is any executive department of government which is directed by a board, for with a board, unless all the members save one are either dead or incapacitated, discipline and efficiency are impossible. ”

“ If the fix you’re after is of a nature which the local precinct captain can’t handle, you go through a certain District Commission employe who is the bagman for one of the three District Commissioners. The Commission is the immediate boss of the police department. Any commissioner can issue orders to the chief.
There are occasions, however, when a really strong in is needed. Washington is federal territory and is ruled nominally by the national administration. In such an instance, the guy who wants to call the cops off has to try other doors. ”

“ The Commissioner—often wrongly described as the Chief Commissioner—is appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Home Secretary, and has wide, almost autocratic powers. It is an Imperial force which has duties apart from the care of London. ”

“ Before the Police Service Commission makes an appointment to the office of Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Police it shall consult the Prime Minister, and a person shall not be appointed to such an office if the Prime Minister signifies to the Police Service Commission his objection to the appointment of that person to such an office. ”

“ The non-enforcement of the city ordinance against street stands is a technical violation of law by the Police Commissioners, which should render them amenable to immediate removal. According to their own views of their official duty their resignations should be promptly submitted. ”

“ A meeting having been advertised to take place in Trafalgar Square on the 8th of February under the auspices of the London United Workmen's Committee, the organizers (who were a respectable body of men desirous only of ventilating their grievances in a legitimate and orderly manner) , having reason to fear that certain of the Social Democrats were bent on creating a disturbance, [379] approached the Chief Commissioner with a request that the police might assist them in their efforts to prevent a breach of the peace. ”

“ The Commissioner of Police may hold an inquiry into the conduct of any member of the force or of any officer or employee under his control and upon such inquiry shall have and may exercise the like powers and authority as are conferred upon the Inspector of Legal Offices by section 16 with respect to high constables. ”

“ Two of the Police Commissioners in whose hands the control of the force was nominally lodged were leaders in their own districts for Tammany Hall, and their sense of their obligations to their party far outweighed their obligations to the law or to the city. As one of the witnesses put it bluntly:—
So long as our municipal departments are run by Boss Croker, they will be regarded as adjuncts of a political organisation, and will be used to perpetuate its power. ”

“ Having only the first of these problems in view, I suggested to you that a law should be enacted creating a commission to consist of three or five eminent citizens to be named in the act, for the only purpose of reconstructing the police force within a certain time — say two years — the commission then to go out of existence ”

“ There are, however, special considerations affecting the police force, and we therefore recommend that at an appropriate time there should be established a separate Police Service Commission to deal with appointments, promotions and discipline in the higher ranks of the force; the Commission should be set up on a statutory basis and should have executive authority, Its functions and membership are set out in Appendix C.
21. ”

“ The Commissioner's words are that "the benefits will be reaped by posterity when the Force has disappeared and its work is forgotten." It is hard to get these policemen to estimate their work highly enough. ”