CHAPTER III.

THE SOCIAL EVIL AND THE POLICE.

Whenever an attempt is made to study the Social Evil problem, the police become at once the object of interest and investigation.

Before a just criticism can be made, however, it is necessary to investigate the causes that have brought about conditions which the police are supposed to control. When this is not done, well meaning persons, after a superficial investigation of existing conditions, are inclined to make the sweeping statement that the entire department is corrupt, that all the officers on the beat are grafters, and that protection money is paid to Inspectors of Divisions and Captains of Precincts.

In order, therefore, to be fair in reporting upon the Police and the Social Evil, it becomes necessary, first, to point out the peculiar conditions, with the underlying causes that exist in a city, and, second, to show what influences these conditions have had upon men who are sworn to enforce the law.

In the first place, then, the laws now on the statute books for the protection of society against the Social Evil were enacted by legislators, the majority of whom came from the country districts, and who expected them to regulate affairs in large cities as well as in country

towns.

Unfortunately, experience has shown that this is quite impossible. The laws prohibiting houses of ill-fame can be and are enforced in a small community. But the situation is more difficult in a city the size of Chicago. Here an individual may, if he chooses, live any life he pleases, so far as his personal habits are concerned, and no one be the wiser.

Often the country man, who stands as a pillar of strength in his rural community, does not live up to his home standard when he comes to the city, and helps to encourage disregard for law, and thus increases the difficulties of the problem. If such a man, fresh from a town where this law is strictly enforced, does not hesitate to violate it when he comes to the city, what can be expected of citizens of

the city, if they look upon the conditions with indifference, and thereby grow callous to the violation of the law?

Thus it has come to pass that the law against houses of prostitution has become inoperative in cities, and in its place has grown up a custom of tolerance and indifference, which has resulted in peculiar conditions, strange to the eyes of law-abiding men.

Is it fair, then, to fasten the entire blame for such conditions upon the police as a whole, who in the last analysis are merely the servants of the people, and as servants do their will?

But go a step further, and see how these conditions grow even more complex, and difficult to handle.

This tolerance and indifference toward the law by the citizens have gone so far in Chicago, that for years the people have seen develop under their very eyes a system of restricted districts under police regulation, the result of which has been to nullify the law, and render it inoperative. In one district a police regulation takes the place of the law. In another, the law becomes operative to a slight degree, while in still a third it is apparently enforced.

So it happens that the people of Chicago, by their tacit consent, have put aside the operation of the law, and made it a thing to be manipulated this way or that, according to expediency.

Again, it is submitted that it is not fair to lay the blame entirely upon the police, the servants of the people, who as servants, do their employers' will.

As a result of this attitude toward the law on the part of the community, the police department has been in a sense demoralized and has come to exercise a discretion which was never intended it should have.

ness.

One of the Municipal Court judges who appeared before the Commission in a conference said that in his opinion "it is this discretion. which makes graft in the police department possible. The law-abiding citizen will not pay graft to anyone, for the protection of his busiHe relies upon the law's protection. It is only the man who is engaged in an unlawful business who will pay graft, for the protection of that unlawful business. We have in every large city in this country the anomalous situation of the police officers, the guardians of the law, attempting to regulate an unlawful business, a condition which is certain to produce more or less corruption."

The words of this judge sum up the situation, and if it can be shown that the police have abused the discretion given them by the people; that by their connivance, the Social Evil is fostered and allowed to grow, through bribery and corruption, then the facts should be ascertained to the end that the public be aroused to its responsibility, and that such practices cease.

It is stated that the police force of Chicago is made up of eight inspectors and 4,288 officers, or one policeman for every 590 inhabitants.

No fair-minded man would say that this large body of men has been swept into this system of bribery and corruption and that they deliberately foster the Social Evil. To so affirm would be a libel not only against the Department, but against the City of Chicago.

But it is within reason to say that owing to the peculiar conditions which the people have allowed to exist so long temptations have developed which some have not been able to resist.

These temptations have assailed officers in high control and no doubt some have fallen. Some men under these officers have seen the rewards, and no doubt they too have fallen. It remains to show by presentation of facts as shown in the typical cases just to what extent these temptations have assailed members of the police force, and how far the corrupting influences of the conditions of which they are the victims have extended.

EXISTING CONDITIONS.

I. The Social Evil in Chicago. The evil of prostitution finds its most acute expression in Chicago in the following ways: In recognized houses in so-called restricted districts; in semi-recognized flats in residential districts; in assignation hotels, in restricted, residential and business districts; in rear rooms of saloons, in assignation rooms over saloons, in restricted, residential and business districts, and on the street in restricted, residential, and business districts.

II. Police Rules and Regulations. When the present General Superintendent of Police was appointed, he found that there were certain so-called restricted districts, where the operation of the law had been nullified by custom and precedent. Under such conditions, he

felt that in order to lessen as far as could be the evil influences of prostitution, the best he could do would be to issue certain rules and regulations for the guidance of the police and demand that they be obeyed.

These Rules and Regulations were issued on April 29, 1910.1

In transmitting these rules and regulations, the General Superintendent of Police issued certain instructions to the inspectors. In these instructions he said:

"In order that there may be no misunderstanding, the intention of this order is to absolutely divorce the liquor traffic from prostitution, professional or casual.

"Saloons that are adjacent to resorts shall have all connection absolutely and permanently barred; nor will saloons be permitted to sell drinks to be carried into resorts.

"A general announcement on this matter some weeks since has given all interested ample time to dispose of stock on hand. All should be given to understand that those offending in this regard may expect that their place shall be immediately and permanently closed.

"In order to insure the practical abolition of this liquor traffic as referred to above, the patrolmen on the posts must watch all known suspected places, and report to their commanding officer wherever the delivery of goods, or any suspicious incident suggests, that the place should be investigated. A report is expected from each inspector as made to him by his subordinates each month, stating just what has been done and the conditions existing in his division at the time of report.

"In a word it is to be absolutely understood that this regulation is permanent and complete, and must be rigorously enforced, and permanently and faithfully observed."

III. Police Records. As the business of the police department regarding the Social Evil is to enforce the law, and the rules and regulations in districts where the law has become inoperative, it is natural to suppose that all places where the regulations are being violated, or where there is a suspicion of violation would be known and classified by the Department.

With this in mind, the investigation of the Social Evil as undertaken by the Commission was based upon a list of such places, furnished by the General Superintendent of Police. This list was made up from the reports of Inspectors throughout the city, as to condi

1For text of Rules, see Appendix XXI.

tions found by their supbordinates in their different police divisions. This list was received August 16, 1910.

An analysis of this list showed, briefly, that there were 142 houses of prostitution in the City of Chicago, known to the police of seven different precincts, namely, the 3d, 4th, 12th, 15th, 27th, 28th and 38th. These houses harbored 860 inmates and 142 madames or keepers, making a total of 1,002 women engaged in this business in recognized houses. In addition, the list gave 549 inmates in 261 flats located at 181 separate addresses with 261 madames or keepers, making a total of 810 women engaged in this business in flats. The record further stated that there were 51 hotels which cater to an immoral trade. Thirty-eight of these places were conducted by men and 13 by women. This made a grand total of 1,825 women engaged in the business of prostitution, according to the police list, either as inmates or keepers, at 374 separate addresses.

It is interesting to note that no saloons where immoral and dissolute persons congregate were given as such in this list. Which fact was quite contrary to the instructions issued by the General Superintendent of Police when transmitting the new rules and regulations to the inspectors.

With this list as a basis, a field investigation was undertaken. From July 15th to September 30th inclusive the investigators found 356 houses, hotels, flats and assignation rooms. They counted 370 prostitutes connected with 150 of these places, and were solicited by 150 different women for immoral purposes. Of the 150 places where prostitution existed, 45 were on the police list and 105 were not. Of the 78 houses, hotels, flats and assignation rooms discovered by saloon investigators, and which were not in the same building with the saloon, four were on the police list, 45 were not, and 29 were doubtful, as the addresses were not secured. This made a total of 150 addresses of this character, which the police apparently had no record of.

During this same period investigators secured information concerning 275 saloons. They counted 779 women who were frequenting these saloons, and were solicited for immoral purposes by more than 206 different prostitutes in 206 different saloons. Of the 275 saloons visited, 46 were on the police list and 229 were not, making a grand