The Seattle Police Force Shuffle
Mayor Ronald's 'reform' administration clears house to install political allies with troubled pasts.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A number of police officers against whom no charges had been made were dropped from the force by the police commission at its meeting on Monday evening, and three new names were added to the roll: Henry Sheahan, A. M. Kent, and Ben Stretch. All of them have previously served on the force. Henry Sheahan was a captain under Chief Monroe who was previously suspended and reduced to the ranks for misrepresenting facts regarding an escaped prisoner and later resigned with charges of theft pending. A. M. Kent was also a captain, later dropped for insubordination and for refusing to surrender funds from the police relief association. Ben Stretch was formerly a jailer suspended for neglect after permitting the escape of a desperate criminal. It may be asked why officers against whom no charge has been made should be dropped to make place for these worthies. The answer is not difficult. They all took part in Mayor Ronald's recent 'reform' campaign.
“It may be asked why officers against whom no charge of any kind has been made should be dropped to make place for these worthies. The answer is not difficult. They all took part in Mayor Ronald's recent 'reform' campaign.”
The revolving door of political patronage in municipal law enforcement remains a sensitive topic in Seattle. The 1892 struggle over 'reform' hiring mirrors the modern debates regarding the influence of political loyalty versus professional merit within the city's public institutions.
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