Detroit: A Lesson in Law Enforcement

On November 9, 1962, the Gotham Hotel in Detroit was raided in a co-ordinated operation by the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and the Federal Internal Revenue Service. Forty-one persons arrested either have been convicted of gambling activities or are charged with such in state or federal courts. Vast quantities of gambling paraphernalia, much of it crooked, and evidence, including cash and bet slips, were seized. This attack on "The Fortress" of the numbers racket in the Detroit area has been described by federal revenue agents as one of the biggest and most suc cessful gambling raids ever conducted. Findings demonstrate that the Gotham's operations were not only illegal but dis honest as well. This is helping to decrease public tolerance for organized gambling in the area. Also, ties of organized gambling to organized and unorganized crime of other kinds were disclosed. The raid on the Gotham did not end illegal gambling in the Detroit area, but it had other results. It eliminated any gambling location boasting immunity in the city. It forced many of the numbers operators still in busi ness out of town and has kept the rest continually on the move, multiplying their chances of mistake and being caught in police surveillance. Illegal gambling, the foundation of organized crime, is a substantial foundation which required a long time to build. It will not be destroyed quickly, but law-enforce ment measures can be taken.—Ed.