Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-15

II Is lllt QlOSl MlQCly uoSQ VI tlll hlbbAl-
ods of Identification. But its value ex-
tends only from the twentieth year
upward. To remedy this defect and
to make assurance more certain in
identification work, the finger print
method has been growing in favor. Dip
the finger or thumb In ordinary print
ers' ink and then press it on white
paper and you have an impression that
cannot be duplicated in all the world.
1t is ar impression that would be
made at any period from the cradle to
the grave. Some take the thumb only.
Others take the thumb and the four
fingers Of the left hand, because 1t is
the least used and least liable to in
jury. Some have the flat impression,
simply pressing the thumb flat 9th
ers make the person to be identified
place his thumb in a position so that
the nail is vertical and then roll the
member around on the paper until it
is vertical on the other side.
The army the navy and the marine
corps have all adopted the finger print
method of identification. When 1t
comes to Identification by one of these
prints the print of the suspect is com
pared with that on file. Under a mi
croscope it is easy to count every lit
tie line and TO note its direction and
character with infinite precision. But
modern ingenuity cannot lay claims to
credit for evolving this exact method
of Identification. Like such a surpris-
ing lot of other things which men now
regard as wonderfully ingenious, fin
ger print Identification comes to us
from the Chinese from a period far
behind the birth of Christ. Cinnamon
used 1t as their signature to import
ant papers, such as wills and deeds.
Commissioner Bingham OF the New
York police department recently de-
clared that Gotham has not a single
first class detective in it's whole SER
vice and goes even further in saying
that the city would not recognize an
officer of such a description If he were
to march down Broadway heralded by
a brass band. He thinks that there
ought to be two or three civilian de-
tectives and that only the mayor, the
police commissioner and one or two
others should be aware of their iden-
tity. He believes that 80 per cent of
all the crimes committed in the city
of New York is committed by foreign
ers.
The introduction of police dogs in
New York has been watched with in
terest by police authorities everywhere
and the remarkable success that at
tended this experiment has led other
cities to consider adding dogs to their
force. They have been used mainly in
the suburban sections and outskirts.
and since their introduction burgla-
ries have almost entirely ceased. The
prospect of being chased by an unre-
lenting police dog has been too much
for the light fingered gentry; they all
admit that one dog has more terrors
for them than a dozen policemen. Aire-
dale terriers and German sheep dogs
make the best police CANNES. First
taught to be Obedient, to jump over
distractions and to carry missives and
weightier articles, the dogs are then
taught to run errands and in doing so
to keep their noses to the ground.
After six months OF primary teaching
they are ready for the grammar
grades, SO to speak, where they are
taught to follow trail by dragging
piece of meat over the ground. Then
they learn to seek out the trainer and
his assistant. Promotion to the high
school of dogdom next follows and they
are taught to keep strange trails, to
throw down the persons they are sent
after and to hold him until the police
arrive.
William A. Pinkerton recently stated
that he did not believe there are more
than score of first class porch climb
ers in the United States. He says they
usually select the dinner hour and have
spent much time before In learning all
about the householdf they propose to
invade. The police department of
Cleveland, Ohio. has tried a new ex-
pertinent in the form of a golden rule
policy. 1t is to be gentle with the first
offender and to take the drunken man
home when he is able to go there, in
stead OF taking him to the lookup.
Those who are not able to go are held
till next morning, when they sign a
waiver of trial in the Sunrise court"
and are sent home. In cases where 1t
Is warranted the offenders are re-
leased under their own recognizance.
In fifteen months the number of ar
rests declined 6S per cent and there
was no noticeable increase in lawless-
ness as result.
Council Bluffs, Iowa, has a remark
able auxiliary police force. 1t serves
on holidays without pay and is made
up of boys who wear star badges. A
boy has to be good for a long term to
get on the force. If an offender whom
they attempt to arrest resists, big
policeman is called and the stern hand
of the law takes hold. Every boy In
Council Bluffs wants to be a police
man and the result has been highly
conducive to good citizenship among
the male juvenile population of the
city.
The great gathering of the worlds
police officials at the st. Louis worlds
fair has resulted in better under
standing between the police of Europe
and America, and they are now CO.
operating in an effort to wipe out
every hiding place Of the notorious
criminals whose operations cover con-
tinents as we'll as nations. There has
been such cooperation established that
perhaps 10000 of the worlds worst
criminals are always under the eye
Of the international police. Some
times they get away and out Of sight
for awhile, but for the most part their
whereabouts are known.
copyright, 1909, by Frederic J. Haskin)
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