Judge — September 13, 1924 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The burglary on Murphy's beat that was not reported" This Carl Anderson cartoon satirizes police corruption and negligence. A uniformed officer (identified as "Murphy" by the caption) witnesses a burglary in progress on his patrol beat but fails to report it—the cartoon's central joke. The sequence shows: burglars breaking into a residential building, the officer discovering them, and rather than arresting them or calling for help, Murphy appears to join them or ignore the crime entirely. The final panel shows Murphy with the burglars, suggesting complicity or a shared understanding. The satire targets police dereliction of duty and possible bribery or collusion between law enforcement and criminals—a common Progressive-era critique of urban police forces accused of overlooking crimes committed by connected parties.