12/27/1927 Board of Public Safety Minutes

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267 The reg a1a.r ieetir :o t i.e Board of P- blic :.3 Rfet"r WOL8 hold in t a the Bords Office ,T- d*sday `�Deeember altb. , 1927. Meeting was called to order at 4 :00 P.M. by Pres. Engeldrum Mro Nicely was not present Minutes of the last regular meeting were read and approved. Motion prevailed that the weekly report of Supt. Qualle of the Electrical Dept. be approved and ardered placed on file: Motion prevailed that the weekly report of City Sealer,Burns be accepted and ordered placed on file. POLICE DEPT. Motion prevailed. that Acting Capt.` Theo. Wolter be promoted to the rank of - Captain effective Ja.nuar 1 12x8, Motion prevailed that the- Offioial Bond of Offieer--Harry Henderson name- ing Harry Henderson as principal and Harry Henderson, Harry Engle, and Jacob Engle as surest be approved_. Motion prevailed that Chief Hatt be instructed to make special effort to check all violators;of the five minute double parking ordinance, Motion prevailed that David Raymond be appointed as a,member of the Police Dept. to began duty January lst. 1928. r The following letter - -was received from mayor Montgomery, - To the hoard of .public Safety: December `27, 1927 It is called to my attention that a liquor defendant, Richard O`Hara, stated in the kederal court last vriday, December 23rd, that another person, Michael Sarous, told him that he was immune from arrest in South Bend and St. Joseph County because he paid for "protection ". Although O'Hara's statement, as it appears, was based on what he says someone else told him, yet in a,sense it implies that graft ex- ists in the city police department or among city officials. The state - ment is therefore one which in my opinion should not be ignored and which you should promptly investigate. r F As your board is well aware, no such condition either exists or,has ever been tolerated by present city officials, and tiny statement to the contrary is false and utterly without foundation. Speaking what I know are your own sentiments, as well as my own, I want to say to the people of South Bend, in the most positive terms, that any time any reliable information or evidence is furnished .us that any city official, or any city employee, is involved in any way, either directly or indirectly, in the taking of graft, that such person will at once -be dismissed and furthermoremill be prosecuted to the limit of the law, and that we will be the first to act. On account of the O'Hara statement, 1 therefore recommend that you immed.ateiy subpoena before your board both Richard O'Hara and Michael Sa,rous, as well as those persons who were present in the federal court at the time in question, to learn the complete story regarding this state- ment, In view of the importance of such a question to the people of South fiend, I further recommend that you 'invite,,-and solicit, any person: whatever who mgy assume to have any information on the subject of alleged 1 graft in south Bend to-appear before the board of ,safety safety and furnish you any such information or evidence in their possession for proper action on your part. I suggest that you call a special me6ting of the board of safety so that the O'Hara story and any evidence whatever of this character can be fully presented to the board, respectfully yours, C . F? . Montgomery, mayor . Sn (over) _ �r