promotion would eliminate favoritism in making choices for promotion perhaps more thoroughly than does the civil service commission. Policemen will be the first to welcome an escape from outside interference. They do not need barriers to keep them from rushing to influences which they know have always worked for demoralization and the disrepute of their activity. They have in the past affected alignments with outside political interests only because those interests had connections with elected officers who determined appointments, promotions, and assignments to favored posts. But once the whole job of policing is left to the personnel responsible for it,-including, of course, a civilian administrative head, without the introduction of outside connections that make for interference, the professional force will show that it has a natural pride in its work, that it desires a good name and an efficient department, more, indeed, than other persons whose standing and interests do not rise and fall with the standing of the police department. Lest it be thought that this recommendation for a board of promotion is of too radical a character, attention is called to the fact that this same system is now and has been for many years in operation in Boston and other American cities, where it has worked with unqualified success. Similarly in London the non-competitive system of promotions is the method in vogue. There the civil service commission enters the situation only upon the invitation of the police commissioner, to assist the department in weeding out men whose lack of education makes them unfit for promotion, and the examination which it gives is merely to test the general educational capacity of the applicant. A second examination in the elements of police duty, both oral and written, is given by a board of police officials, and those who emerge from these two tests are eligible to promotion, although the commissioner, of course, makes his own choices from the list. Some such system as this is necessary if our police departments are to be saved from lifelessness and dry rot. With promotions the result of real excellence in police work under the watchful eye of superiors, much of the present inertia would disappear. T CHAPTER VI DISCIPLINE HE term discipline as here used includes both its narrower and broader meanings. Discipline in its narrow sense relates only to punishment administered for some violation of the rules and regulations or dereliction of duty. This punishment may take the form of a cancellation of vacation days, suspension without pay, demotion, or dismissal from the department. In its wider meaning the word discipline embraces the conduct and bearing of members of the force in the performance of their duty and the manner in which the force responds to the leadership of the various officers in charge of operations. As Arthur In its wider meaning, therefore, the discipline of a police force is of far-reaching significance. The essential basis of all good police work is the character and physical power of the individual men. Woods says: "They must be strong of body, stout of soul-sturdy, two-fisted specimens, knowing how to hold themselves in restraint even under severe provocation, yet prompt and powerful to act with force and uncompromising vigor when only that will maintain order and protect the law-abiding." In other words, alertness, keenness, self-restraint, and vigor are the essential earmarks of a good police force. It would be impossible to claim that these characteristics are particularly noticeable in Cleveland. We have observed a sufficient number of instances of laxity in police work to warrant the general conclusion that something is radically wrong with the standard of discipline. No effort was made to spy on the men for the purpose of detecting flaws in their conduct, but many casual observations were made of the men as they went about their work on the streets, in station houses, and at police headquarters. It was not at all uncommon to find two policemen talking together while on post duty, and carrying on long conservations with citizens while on post seems to be a habit. Some conversation with citizens is, of course, necessary, but reference is here made only to those conversations the manner of which clearly showed that the discussion was not confined to lines of police duty. These conversations occurred on posts covering the busiest streets as well as in the more quiet districts. On one occasion the traffic cornerman at the intersection of Superior Avenue, N. E. and the Public Square was off duty from 11 A. M. until some time after 11.15A. M. A gale was blowing at the time, so that there was some danger to pedestrians in crossing the street, as automobiles and street cars were moving without any regulation. During all of this time the patrolman who was on post at the southwest corner of the post-office building was engaged in conversation with a citizen, with his back turned to what really amounted to an emergency situation on the uncovered traffic post a few feet away. Many patrolmen while on post duty were observed leaning against posts or buildings as if too tired to stand erect. The frequency with which needlessly prolonged conversation and other forms of idling occur reflects discredit on the work of patrol sergeants. Either the sergeants are not aware of what constitutes alert patrol, or they are too lenient in their supervision. On the afternoon of February 21 a building in process of demolition at East Sixth Street and Superior Avenue, N. E., collapsed, killing and injuring several men. A large crowd gathering to view the rescue work necessitated a considerable detail of policemen to keep the crowd back, so as to allow firemen to work and to protect the people against the danger of the unsafe building walls. Crowds were allowed to gather on the sidewalks across Superior Avenue from the building, and no adequate measures were taken to keep open passageways on the crossing sidewalks. A patrolman was stationed at the southwest corner of Sixth and Superior. He was watching the firemen at work about the wrecked building with the same sort of preoccupation as that manifested by the crowd blocking the sidewalk. He was not doing as well as the crowd, in fact, for he was chewing tobacco and violating the law by expectorating continually in the street. A sergeant forced his way through the crowd and instructed this patrolman to clear a passageway. The patrolman made a grimace, as if in disapproval of having his attention called to the fact that he was supposed to be policing the crowd. He started a few citizens moving, but never properly cleared the passageway. At the same place, on the day following, two other policemen, one a foot patrolman and the other a horse-mounted man, were observed while they were policing a crowd which had gathered to witness a parade of the Cleveland Grays. Both men were facing the parade, and as the flagbearers' detachment passed the policemen failed to salute the national emblem, in careless disregard of the instructions covering honors to be rendered by members of the force when in uniform and on duty. One more example of slovenly attitude may be cited. A squad of nine men was observed at the 2.15 P. M. roll call assembly in a precinct station. While the officer who was holding the roll call read the orders to this outgoing platoon, three of the men who were chewing tobacco stepped out of their line formation in order to expectorate. Another was seen whispering to the man standing in line beside him as the description of persons wanted and alarms giving information of all kinds was being read by the officer in charge. An attitude of this sort makes a joke of discipline. It makes the uniform a cheap pretense. These instances have not been given in any captious spirit. It is submitted, however, that although these minor derelictions may be small in themselves, the very frequency of careless, slovenly, and inattentive actions indicates a general absence of good discipline. The whole force needs toning up. It needs to be infused with vigor and alertness. The men should be gotten onto their toes. The department's morale should be stiffened with the same spirit that Arthur Woods put into the New York force during his administration. This means discipline; it means the strict observance of the letter of the department's regulations; it means the exaction of a full measure of compliance with police duty. It brings with it no hardships. On the contrary, it promotes an esprit de corps that makes for the happiness and self-respect of the entire force. RECORD OF FORMAL DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS An analysis was made of major cases of disciplinary action which had resulted in suspension from duty on the order of the chief of police and subsequent trial by the director of public safety. There were 64 members of the force tried during the year 1920. One member was tried twice during the year and two other members were charged with a second offense within the year and dismissed from the department, having signed after the first trial a resignation to be accepted by the director at his pleasure. Thus, there were 67 offenses subject to the trial judgment of the director committed by 64 persons during 1920. In a number of cases more than one charge was preferred against a single offender. The nature of the charges preferred in the 67 trials is shown in the following tabulation: Intoxication and drinking in uniform Intoxicated while off duty Drinking in uniform while on duty Neglect of duty (allowing prisoner to escape, not using due Off patrol (sleeping, sitting in stores, etc.) Reporting late; failure to ring duty calls, etc. Disobedience Use of indecent language Feigning sickness Beating horse; offering to permit the making of whisky in re- 329 An examination of the previous record of the 64 men tried in 1920 shows that 25 of them had not been previously charged with offenses. The remaining 39 had been charged at one time or another with 99 offenses, as shown by the following tabulation: The results of the 67 trials held in 1920 were as follows: two members were reinstated without punishment, being found not guilty; in 38 trials some form of punishment was administered and the members retained in the department. Of the remaining 27 trials, 21 resulted in dismissal from the service of the persons tried, and six members resigned before the date for trial, while charges were pending against them. The nature of the punishment imposed in cases other than cases of dismissal is shown below: Reprimanded, suspended four days, fined ten days' vacation and required to sign a resignation to take effect when ac- Reprimanded, suspended four to thirteen days, fined two to six Reprimanded, suspended four to six days' vacation 1 22 22 all vacation for a period of five months, and required to sign a resignation to take effect when accepted by the director Suspended three to thirty days, fined one day's vacation to all vacation for nine weeks 10 17 Suspended five to forty-five days and demoted Suspended nine to fourteen days O 122 Fined three days' vacation to vacation for a period of one month, 2 Considering the cases involving a charge of intoxication and drinking in uniform, it is found that out of 23 cases, only four resulted in dis |