YOUTHS COMMIT MOST CRIMES

Mr. Arthur Woods '92, police commissioner of New York City spoke interestingly in the Union last night on the problems that confront a policeman in New York and of the imperfect conditions under which a body of 11,000 men has to control a population of five and a half millions, two and a half millions of which are foreigners. He spoke of the various methods of policeing the city and told of his experiences as deputy commissioner six years ago. "One of the most striking things about New York crime," said Mr. Woods, "is the fact that a large proportion of it is committed by boys between the ages of 15 and 20, usually of the second generation of foreigners. This is a new problem, the study of which is just beginning." He emphasized the fact that "we have to work with the law as it is, not as it should be" and said that this was responsible for some of the police graft so often talked about. "The professional criminal must be given the full extent of the law, for if he finds that he can get a shortening of sentence by any influence he may possess, the whole community of criminals is ready to take a chance."

"The young foreigners regard the chase for money as the great American object and they cast aside their old customs and morals and plunge into what seems to them the 'national pursuit.' And the quickest way for them to get money is to steal it." Here Mr. Woods mentioned numerous cases that had come under his observation.

Officers Show Bravery.

In speaking of the police force, he said, "You can say what you like about the New York policeman in certain critical cases, but you cannot with any justice say anything derogatory as to his bravery." He cited numerous instances of bravery under very trying circumstances and went on to say that the spirit of the force does more than anything else to build up a thoroughly honest police department. "Men respond to spirit, morale, call it what you will, more than to anything else in the world."

"A police commissioner is a bird of passage and usually flies so fast that the policemen can't determine what species he may be. This coupled with political graft is responsible for any lack of efficiency of the force," said Mr. Woods.

The New York gun men or "gorillas" are responsible for most of the fraudulent elections, the East Side strikes and spectacular murders. "They are mediaeval characters with mediaeval codes of morals plunged into our present-day civilization."

"Police graft," said Mr. Woods in conclusion, "is not primarily the fault of the grafting policeman--it is to his credit that there is not more graft. And there is no adequate way of rewarding policemen for good work; yet you find them on the whole doing pretty good work with very fair honesty--for a body of 11,000 men.