NEW YORK'S TEN THOUSAND 465 



Since then has come the era of the " single head " to the department, 

 a manifest improvement, since it is always better to have one (even a 

 bad) " boss/' than many — even many good ones. In fact the " bosses " 

 of New York's police force have seldom been bad — that is, as executives 

 never, it may be said, incapable ; even the worst of them could have been 

 wonderfully efficient if he had so chosen. With his views as to the ends 

 to be attained this paper does not deal ; to those views he was very loyal. 

 Loyal too, after quite a difierent fashion, have been the army men who 

 have been in control. But loyalty to an ideal is one thing, leadership in 

 any sphere of activity when the foundation principles are radically 

 defective, quite another. If for no other reason than the complexity 

 and multiplicity of duties devolving upon the head of the department 

 some of these must inevitably be slighted or neglected. The chief-of- 

 police (whatever his title or under whatever code of laws he serves) 

 ought to be free of virtually all routine duty. 



But the really radical defect in the plan of organization of the 

 department as applied to the commissioner, the flagrant, vital defect, at 

 odds with all practical efficiency, real strength, and " the eternal fitness 

 of things," is that in his hands are concentrated powers that under the 

 conditions are incongruous, that he combines in his own person execu- 

 tive, legislative and judicial functions. The system in vogue in London, 

 whereby the chief is an absolute autocrat, having power of dismissal 

 without appeal, is better than this. But neither conforms to the require- 

 ments of equity; no man should be held — even voluntarily — as another 

 man's vassal, and no American citizen should be deprived of his just 

 right to the final judgment of the courts of his country. Again, as the 

 law stands^ the commissioner can be removed from office at any time and 

 for any cause or no cause at the will, whim or caprice of either the 

 mayor or the governor. Probably at some future time, if the laws 

 remain as they are, this power of summary removal might not be un- 

 desirable; but certainly so insecure a tenure of office does not conduce 

 to discipline. It renders the dignified office of commissioner something 

 very like that of a lacquey, and that not to one master, but to two. 



Comparison of the regular army with the police force shows most 

 conclusively that for the latter there should be a legislative body, willing, 

 to the same extent that congress is willing, to abstain from continual 

 interferences, and to be guided largely by expert opinion derived from 

 those who actually do tlie work and are familiar with practical condi- 

 tions. Whether this body shall be similar to the old-time board of com- 

 missioners, whether the board of aldermen shall assume these duties, or 

 a board constituted upon entirely new lines, these are matters demand- 

 ing much thought and careful consideration. But, however this legis- 

 lative body may be constituted, its function should combine those which 

 ^ Charter of the City of New York, Chapter VIII., Police Department. 



VOL. LXXX.— 31. 



