The sheriff at Jacksonville, one-time city detective, experienced law-enforcement officer, zealous prohibitionist, intensely religious, insists upon the practice of strict temperance by his deputies. His campaign against gamblers, dope traffickers, bootleggers, and prostitutes has been so intense and so effective that strong political pressure has been brought to bear to effect his defeat at the next election. Achievements by his office from January 8 to December 31, 1929, were as follows: Number of seizures made for violation of the liquor law. Mash (or "buck ") destroyed at place of seizure---. --gallons- "mash Value of "mash" (Government estimate, 10 cents per Wine, 7,497 quarts_. Imported red liquor, 7,907 quarts- $1,400. 00 7, 497.00 39, 535.00 106, 632.00 2, 291. 75 Total value of seizures for the period Jan. 8 to Dec. 31, 1, 347 228 1,575 248, 355 $24, 835. 50 22.800.00 47, 635. 50 157,355.75 204, 991.25 The sheriff at Miami, queen of east-coast resorts, is equally active; there violations are numerous, especially during the tourist rush. The free-spending class hibernating there creates a profitable liquor market, as well as an easy-money lure for scores of racketeers, carnival men, gamblers, prostitutes, and other criminals or quasicriminals from the North. The above officer cooperates fully with prohibition authorities, and a concerted drive by both organizations has succeeded to the point of eliminating open bars in the county. Gambling houses there no longer run wide open" and are compelled to limit activities to the clandestine, subrosa category. Prostitutes, too, are kept on the run, and their activities limited to the scattered, apartment-house variety. Two hundred and sixty-six liquor cases were made by the above officer for the year 1929, an unprecedented achievement for Dade County. Disposition of the same, in the local criminal court, was as follows: Fines, 200; jail, 37; suspended, 25; bonds forfeited, 13; not guilty, 16; nolle-prossed, 38; dismissed, 78; pending, 25. The sheriff of Pinellas County, which embraces the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, is another active enforcement officer. This official, a Republican, has been forced to combat several concerted drives by political foes to force him out of office. His work has, however, in spite of organized opposition, been effective. Most of the larger bootleggers have been driven out of the county. Illicit distilling has also been considerably abated. This sheriff, functioning with five deputies, available also for court and service of summons duties, made 170 seizures in 1929, which was more than his predecessor accomplished in four years. The sheriff at West Palm Beach is regarded by prohibition and other Federal authorities as absolutely unreliable. This officer, who has held office for several years and who is an important political factor in the county, is regarded as unsympathetic with prohibition enforcement and not inclined to cooperate. During 1929 the above officer made 124 arrests for prohibition violations and destroyed 27 illicit stills. Alachua County, seat of which is Gainesville, location of the University of Florida, also has a vigorous law-enforcement sheriff. This officer has an arrangement with the radio broadcasting station at the university whereby he broadcasts twice daily a report of major crime violations throughout the State. Copy of a circular sent by the above official to all enforcement officers in the State relative to the above arrangement is attached hereto, marked "Exhibit B." Arrests made by the latter officer during the year 1929 were as follows: Prohibition authorities in the northern district regard the sheriff of Leon County, whose headquarters are at Tallahassee, as wholly reliable. Federal prohibition agents are seldom sent into that territory except for the investigation or development of major cases. Arrests by the above officer during 1929 were as follows: MUNICIPAL POLICE Police rosters in the larger cities throughout Florida show the following personnel: Jacksonville___. West Palm Beach_-_ Miami Key West_._ Tampa. St. Petersburg Tallahassee Pensacola 10. Police at Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, and Tallahassee are sympathetic with prohibition enforcement activities and extend cooperation whenever so requested. Miami police are a splendid body of men and have as their chief a former Department of Justice operative, experienced as an investigator, incorruptible, but handcuffed politically. Prohibition authorities there attribute the lack of cooperation from police sources to the director of public safety, a politician. Statistics pertaining to arrests by the Jacksonville police for 1929 have not been completely tabulated. The following were, however, prepared for the writer: West Palm Beach police have the confidence of prohibition authorities there and cooperate fully. zation for 1929 were as follows: Arrests made by that organi Referring further to the police force at Miami, this organization appears to be well organized, modern, and for all but prohibition, gambling, and like law violations very much on the alert. The writer was especially impressed with the summary manner in which "floaters" are dealt with by the latter organization. A special squad is delegated to patrol the principal thoroughfare of the city at all hours of the day and night whose duty it is to pick up strangers who appear to be without means of support. Such vagrants are all loaded into a truck on the following morning and shipped to the county line, where they are met by the sheriff of the adjacent county and thence transported to the limits of his jurisdiction. This procedure continues until the luckless "hitch-hikers," "floaters," or vagrants are well on their way out of southern Florida. Miami police also have a most efficient "automobile theft" squad, whose duty it is to scrutinize carefully all suspicious cars entering the city. This unit has succeeded in recovering many vehicles stolen in the North and driven southward. The chief at Miami has recently installed a radio receiving and sending set at the station house which is in communication with four police automobiles that patrol the city night and day. Police blotters at the latter place show the following arrests for 1929: St. Petersburg police, led by a young man, an overseas captain of Infantry, experienced in enforcement work, now functions on a most efficient basis. Relations between the latter body and Government law-enforcement agencies are harmonious. Arrests made by the above force during 1929 were as follows: The police department at Tampa operates under the domination of a municipal political faction. The chief there admitted to the writer that he was a recent political appointee, that he was utterly inexperienced in police work, and that, owing to his comparatively recent appointment, he was completely ignorant concerning opera tions thereof. Both prohibition and customs officials regard the Tampa police force as unreliable and wholly unsympathetic with prohibition enforcement activities. Tampa police blotters showed the following arrests for 1929: SIR: This office respectfully calls to the attention of the department a condition existing in this State in connection with the inspection of cars and automobiles and similar vehicles for the elimination of the Mediterranean fruit fly by employees of the Department of Agriculture or the State plant board. It is the understanding of this office that all cars are stopped at certain points in the State. The southern tip of the State is free of the fly, as in the western section. Cars entering the infested area, which are destined to points outside of said area, are inspected and sealed by representatives of the Agriculture Department upon request. All cars leaving the infested area are inspected and searched. There has been some little friction between the border patrol and representatives of the Department of Agriculture making these inspections. It has been urged that if the members of the Department of Agriculture attempt to enforce any law other than that relating to quarantine inspection, and particularly the law prohibiting the transportation of liquor, that the efficiency of the quarantine will be greatly curtailed, presumbably on the theory that while a liquor runner believes in violating the law of the United States in relation to the transportation of liquor, he does not believe in spreading the fly infestation. The contention is that if these employees attempt to stop liquor cars or give information in relation thereto that the rum runners will run around the posts of inspection and take side roads where there is no inspection station. This theory went so far, according to information received by the patrolman from the commanding officer at the quarantine posts, as to prohibit any lawenforcement officer, be he border patrolman, sheriff, or otherwise, from stationing himself within approximately 90 feet of the quarantine station. According to my own observation, based upon conversations which I have had with these quarantine inspectors-i. e., members of the militia-on the road, some of whom were aware of my official capacity and some who were not, they have direct orders to pay no attention to liquor and not to permit seizures at the post or station. Whether this policy is wise or not is not for me to determine, but I say that it is a most peculiar condition that the laws of the United States refer to one class of officers and not to another. And I have in mind also section 551, Title 18, United States Code, which provides penalty for any person who receives, relieves, or comforts or assists a felon after a felony has been committed; more particularly, section 251 of Title 18, which prescribes a penalty |