Policeman and Public (Criminology, Law Enforcement and Social Problems)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919. Excerpt: ... IV Methods of Law Enforcement AN officer of the law cannot enforce laws effectively unless he uses the best methods. One would not consider a surgeon capable of performing an appendectomy simply because he knew that this meant removing the appendix. The surgeon is not capable until he has learned, not merely the anatomy of the parts, but also the use of his tools, the technique and best practice. In the same manner, we should not expect that a policeman would be successful in solving a murder case, for example, unless he knew something more than that "Homicide is the killing of one human being by the act, procurement or omission of another." He might also know that to "kill by the act" means to assault, shoot, or stab; to "kill by procurement" means to cause one person to kill another; and to "kill by omission" means failure to provide ordinary measures for the safety of others, such as the failure of a builder to furnish safe temporary structures for his workmen to stand on, with the result that a workman falls and is killed. Knowledge of the law would point out to the policeman what his duty is, but would not in itself help him much toward performing it in any but very simple cases. _Like the surgeon the policeman must be taught method. In murder cases, for instance, thorough methods of procedure, worked out by practical men, will go far toward bringing the guilty man to the bar of justice. The tools used in New York in murder cases, packed in a bag, are ready at all times to be taken instantly to the scene of the crime. A murder kit contains the following articles: Complete fingerprint outfit Searchlight Steel tape measure Paper Envelopes Sealing wax Twine Tags Small box of tools Soap and towel Stenographer's notebook Rubber gloves Bottle of antiseptic...