New York, Feb. 16—The feverish opposition of Mr. Tom Wicker to the omnibus anticrime bill (“the greatest threat in many years to American liberty”) reminds one of many things, general and specific. Specifically, it reminds me of the heat turned on, particularly in New York City but also throughout the country, against the repeal, in 1966, of the Civilian Review Board set up by John Lindsay to review charges against the police. It was predicted by champions of the board that its dissolution would bring black-white chaos.
When those arguments did not prevail and it seemed clear that New Yorkers would vote overwhelmingly to eliminate the board, someone discovered a “sleeper clause” in the proposed amendment. That clause, defenders of the board insisted, would have the effect of removing policemen from any kind of effective supervision. Eliminate the Civilian Review Board, they said, and you will get not only chaos, but also you will have constituted a new privileged class—policemen.
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