Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-02
TAKING FINGER PRINTS
Police Desk Sergeants Being
Instructed in Duty.
OF SYSTEM
Habitual Criminals to Be Brought to
Book for Old Offenses.
RECORDS MEANT FOR COURT
Those Who Have Escaped Severe
Penalties by Concealing Vicious
Careers to Be Shown Up.
RECORDS MEANT FOR COURT

Frederick Sandberg and 4. r. Lamp, IN
| charge of the Washington bureau OF
| identification are instructing the desk
sergeants at the several police stations
how to take finger-print impressions or
persons who are arrested. This has been
directed by Maj. Sylvester, chief of police.
Several stations were visited yesterday
and today. and the desk sergeants dis
played interest The instructions are
given to promote the efficiency of the po-
lice department in the work of identifying
persons arrested for serious offenses i'll
this city.
The superintendent Of police will require
desk sergeants to make finger prints Of
all persons accused of theft or attempted
theft, those charged with serious assaults
and those arrested for carrying concealed
weapons
Extension of Work.
Heretofore only limited number of
prisoners have been photographed and
| measured at headquarters. Photographs
and measurements have been made only
in more important cases of dishonesty
and crimes in which the penalty is death
or Imprisonment in the penitentiary. The
broadening of the work will mean that
! thousands of finger-print descriptions will
be recorded in the future as against
scores of them in the past.
Maj. Sylvester deems it necessary to
have such records to present to the
courts. 1t has often happened that a man
arrested and sentencer for theft or con-
cealed weapons managed to get behind
the bars a second or third time but hav
ing been arrested In different precincts
was able to give different names and
thereby ESCAPE severe sentences. 1t is
believed that such persons will have lit
tie chance in the future to evade the
penalties melted out to old offenders.
Hereafter the desk sergeantS will have
the additional work to perform. Records
they take will be transmitted to head
quarters to form part of the general rec
Ords of the bureau.
Caught by Finger Prints.
1t has been only few days since the
two experts in the bureau brought about
| the identification of prisoner by means
of finger prints taken shortly after the
| installation of the system at headquar-
tiers. The prisoner, a negro. had given
different names upon the different occa-
| sions of his arrest. BY the finger-print
impressions he was traced and his pho
tograph found In the gallery.
In making prints of all fingers and both
thumbs it is necessary to get the impress
sions from the center to both edges. Ex-
perts say such prints are as good as pho
tographs.
4 difficulty heretofore has been the
classification of finger prints. Under the
| method of f. s. Henry. in charge of pris-
ons in British possessions classification
| has been made an easy matter.
In England the system was adopted
some time ago. where the system of pho
tographing and measuring criminals has
| been discarded. The laws of India recog-
nize a finger-print expert the same as
| handwriting experts are recognized in
| this country.
| Used In Army and Navy.
Uncle Sam has adopted the system In
the army and navy. All men who enlist
are required to give the recruiting officers
their finger impressions, to be used in
case Of desertion. In the War Depart
ment there is bureau devoted to the
work In cases of deserters who have
enlisted since the adoption Of the method
finger-print Impressions form part of de-
| scriptive circulars sent out to police de-
partments asking for their arrest
| 1t was an easy matter for the British
government to make the change from the
| bertillon to the fnger-print method, be-
cause of the national character of the
| police force. In this country the change
would mean delay and interference with
the work. the departments being con-
Quoted under state and not national laws.
| When the change was made in England
"ao PooSipie 70 nave Hnser prints mace
or all persons In prisons throughout the
British empire. In this country 1t might
take months or even years to accomplish
such results. 1t is the belief of many
police officials throughout the country,
however. that such change will be at
tempted in the near future.
| In Baltimore short while ago Lieut..
Casey, superintendent of the Bertillon
bureau. brought about the Identification
of deserter by means of finger-print
Impressions. A Young man was arrested
for alleged theft. and his finger prints
were taken to be made part of the
| records.
While making comparisons for the pur-
pose of determining If he had been ar
rested before or was wanted in any other
jurisdiction. Lieut.. Casey identified him
as deserter from the army. The pris-
oner admitted his identity and was turned
over to the War Department.