The Arson Racket
| Published date | 01 April 1940 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4001300216 |
| Date | 01 April 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The
Arson Racket"
By
CHIEF
FIRE
MARSHAL
THOMAS
P. BROPHY
New
York
City
ARSON, one of the oldest rackets in the world, strikes at the
very heart of the home, the safety of its members, and has
as well a most serious effect on the community.
The
atrocious
nature of this crime is recognised throughout the world.
It
has
contributed to a considerable extent to the annual enormous
fire waste of this country, and has resulted in the ruthless
murder and injury of many innocent persons..
It
is a crime
against which public officials are fighting continuously. As
police officers, you all have had more or less experience with
this crime and know some of the difficulties with which you are
confronted when making an investigation.
The
incendiary fire today is quite different from the one
of years ago.
The
up-to-date firebug has acquired all the skill
that science can teach him. Like other criminals, the firebug
has advanced in his methods with the times.
To
keep up with
him, the public official has to study constantly in order to
familiarise himselfwith all the tricks of the trade.
The
schemes
and contrivances of the incendiary in his fiendish operations
are sometimes exceedingly ingenious, particularly in the
arrangement of time plants, so that he can make his get-away
considerably before the discovery of the fire and thus establish
an alibi.
The
present-day firebug endeavours to convey the
impression that his crooked fire is of spontaneous or accidental
origin. He will remove all incriminating evidence whenever
possible before he leaves the scene.
It
frequently happens,
however, as in the case of most criminals,
that
no matter how
41Alecture delivered at
the
Forty-third
Annual Convention of the International
Association of Chiefs of Police.
Here
printed
by courtesy of
the
Association
and
of
w.
P. Rutledge, Esq., its Executive Vice-President,
and
of
the
author.
223
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