JOHN C. SHEEHAN.
Ex-Police Commissioner. Boss of Tammany.
But it is only when the Police Commissioners, who stand at the head of the whole force, are under examination that we discover the extent of their utter inability to find out anything. There was, for instance, Mr. Sheehan, who at that time was Police Commissioner, and who now is the titular Boss of Tammany Hall. The question of pool-rooms was under consideration when he admitted that they existed, and that he knew they were corrupting the police. Then the Chairman put the following question:—
And, notwithstanding the fact that you knew or had heard that those pool-rooms were corrupting the police, you thought it was not necessary to take any action upon it?
Mr. Sheehan replied:—
I did start an inquiry to find out if those pool-rooms were paying, what they were paying, and who they were paying it to. I did that within a few months after I became a Police Commissioner, but I couldn’t get any authoritative information of any kind on the subject; but I got it from all sides that they were paying, and it was believed that they were, but no person would substantiate or stand for it.—Vol. iv., p. 3,765.
So he abandoned the subject as one which it was no use discussing any further.
It was just the same with Mr. Commissioner Martin. He was asked concerning the existence of corruption in the police force. I quote the following from the Record:—
Examined by Mr. Sutherland: What did you do to restore the tone and efficiency of the police?
A. The Board of Police was waiting for any evidence of that character to be brought to it.—Vol. i., p. 483.