New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-15
IT'S WORKING ~ CHICAGO.
SUPERINTENDENT BADENOcH on THE BERTH
LOS SYSTEM OF IDENTIFICATION.

SUPERINTENDENT BADENocH on THE BERTiL-
LOS SYSTEM OF IDENTIFICATION.
At the meeting OF tie Medico-Legal Society on
Wednesday night the following letter from super
intendent Badenoch. OF the Chicago police. regard
ing the Berton system OF identifying criminals
was read. The letter is addressed to Clark Bell
secretary OF the Medco-Legal Society:
Absence from tho city has prevented earlier reply
to your favor Of the 18Th tit In repy, peg 10 , say
that the Berton system OF identification. wh.cn
was adopted by this Department June -. io'' mas
been and Is OF invaluable service TO US IN our et
forts toward suppressng crime ana riddlnS ms
city OF habitual criminals. We have now on rec
ord the description OF over nncen thousand Grim
mails who nave been arrested In this and adjacent
Giles and dealt with by the courts.
This Department. with as small number OF men
in proportion TO the population OF tn" city, is re-
quired to guard ls SQUARE miles OF trriory "H rh
e divided into forty-fonr police precincts Inc
Forty fourth Precinct station Is In the extreme
Ice Iieadquartcrs and the Twelfth Precinct sta.
ton IS IN the southern Part OF the city. about
fifteen miles from the Forty-fourth Precinct.
The Eureau OF Il"niihcatlon Is located at the
Second Precinct station. near Police HeadqiarteTs'
and IN the central portion OF the city When per
sou Il arrested on charge such az burglary ROB
beIy w. ne c,, ANY cl art by The ex
aiming magistrate. he Is taken 10 the Bureau OF
according 20 tho Hertillon system. He Is then
turned over to the criminal courts to be disposed
OF according to law.
Now, suppose. for instance. man Is arrested
in the Forty-fourth Precinct for burglary held to
the criminal court measured and recorded AT the
Bureau OF Identification convicted ard sent 10 the
pcuitentary After his release he to this
city. and again commits "A crime In the I"eutn
Precinct. where he - a total stranger and which
is fifteen miles from the OF hts former crime
lie IS held TO the criminal court and. In the usual
way Is taken TO the Bureau of Identification. where
he Is Immediately identified by the Iertillon sys-
TEN the same party who sent to the peni-
Tertiary years before for the crime committed In
the Foriy-fourth Precinct memorandum Is
made OF his record and sent to the States Attor
rey who has him identified ana tried under Our
Iiabitual Criminal act. and this time he gets not
less than twenty years in the penltentlary.
The records OF Bureau Of Identification show
that II Is very rare that criminals who have been
JIabitual Criminal law give this Department
any more trouble They 90 to cities where the
Bcriillon system IL not In This shows the
ADVANTAGE that would result from a universal adop-
ton Of the Bertllon system In cities. and the
establishment OF n central bureau clearing
seat OF Government. Enclosed find clipping from
'"The Milwaukee (Wis) Sentinel" which shows a
Bertiion photo and record OF an habitual criminal.
who was compelled to leave this city because he
was Immediately identified every time he fell into
the hands OF this Department.
lected about six thousand Bertillon descriptions
from the seventeen penitentiar.es OF the country
which were and are using the system OF criminals.
more or less noted. who were then serving time.
hui who were to be released before and during the
Eair During the Fair these criminals knowing
ina, their des ,rptions were on record here gave
this civ a wide berth. so that very small pro.
nort,on less than one hundred OF the above stated
humber fell into the hands Of the police and they
were promptly locked up until the Fair was over.
Thus the system proved great protection 10 ths
people attending the Fair.