Zealous Cops Get Lectured in Harlem Liquor Arrests

In a rare display of judicial rebuke, two magistrates in Harlem court took three overzealous police officers to task for their aggressive enforcement of New York’s prohibition laws. The incident unfolded on July 23, 1921, at the West 123rd Street station, where Patrolman Zipp had arrested Charles Floman, a local candy store owner, without a warrant. Floman, who possessed a prescription for four ounces of liquor, which he claimed was for medicinal purposes, was initially locked up by Zipp.