The morning times., 1895-11-25
TO SPOT THE SUSPECTS
Detail Of a Detective at the
Tracks Being Considered.
THINK IT A GOOD PLAN
Appropriation for an Official Police
PhOtogra Is Also Needed.
Many Cases in Which Such Work
Would He of Value Constantly Oc-
curring-Unidentifi Dead.

1t Is the opinion of the members of the
detective corps that one, or better still,
two local detectives should be stationed at
the race track for the purpose of spotting
crooks.
II Misunderstood in police circles that there
are many men over there who have come
down from New York and Elkton, whom the
police department ought to know. AT the
tracks. they are close together, and mingle
with men who know them, and will point
them out. and tell their history, thus max
ing. the work easy for the detectives.
After the races. these men come TO
Washington. and are so badly scattered that
it becomes difficult to make their
acquaintance. The police and detectives
meet them on the streets and though morally
certain that they are crooks, yet 1t is
difficult to make out case gainst them.
If man We're stationed at the track it
would be very easy for him to get all the
Information needed against certain char
acters. This information could be turned to
good account when the suspect landed In
Washington. The local detectives think
that this would facilitate the work OF
clearing the city of undesirable visitors.
Several of the detective staff have paid
desultory visits to the Virginia race tracks,
aud it is said at headquarters that these
risits have been productive of great good.
1T MAY BE DONE.
The arrest book shows that large num-
Der OF celebrated crooks have been reach
ed in this way, and compelled to leave the
city. 1t is thought that the matter will be
laid formally before Inspector Hollinberger
at an early day. and that he viii detail
a pair of men for this duty.
One of the adjuncts which the police say
their department stands in need OF is
permanent and authorized photographer.
This question has been agitated at differ
ent times during the past few years, but
the alert and progressive members of the
department think that the need becomes
more urgent each year.
Especially is a photog rapheT needed
now when It is proposed TO :ase into
custody every suspicious character in sight.
It would be an aid 10 this department II
this suspect, should the circumstances war
rant 1T. could be Photographed and his Ike
ness filed away for reference. All The sta
tons now have a photograph album In
which the faces of hundreds of crooks and
criminals of al! types are displa yed, but
the collection has been made in desultory
way aud is far from being perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED DEAD.
Another use TO which an official photog-
rapher could be put would be n photograph
ing unidentified dead. In the case OF
the man found dead In room at the
Elktou. Coroner Hammctt bad picture
taken of the corpse and Auditor fetty
was for some time doubtful as to whether
he could allow the expenditure. 1t was
by means of this picture, though that long
after the body had been inferred, 1t was
identified
Not very many days ago body was held
at the morgue for five days awaiting idth-
tification, and had there been such IN
officer as the police suggest a photograph
might have been made from the curpse
and the body buried promptly Then 10
the case of insane people, strangers in
the city, who have been picked up by the
police, heofficial Photographic would come
in handy and would often eiu nhatefitiiS
in the return OF the tieneutctl folks tn their
friends. with the awakening OF interest
in police matters it S probable that MUM
ber of improvements To the service WIZ
soon be made.