The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-21
FOSDICK ON POLICE
SYSTEMS OF EUROPE
lie Tells How Cities Train and
Equip Their Highly e.
ficient Forces.
Continued from FIRST Pane.

phases Of crime. Ten SUBDIVISIONS or
headings have been adopted, each re-
lating to a phase OF the method IN
ployed BY the criminal In the perpetra-
ton OF his crime. These headings are
40 arranged that they can be tx
pressed in numerical figures and the
whole crime can be accurately and
infinitely described in "A formula.
For example. a burglary is COM
United in Wakefield by an unknown
person who pasted n piece Of sticky
ry paper over q window glass 40 that
Il would not fall when broken. then
smashed the glass and slipped the
latch. The formula for this crime and
the necessary particulars are sent to
| the clearing house Of the district. Here
by comparison II Ia shown that similar
b~urgiaries have been committed under
exactly the same circumstances In
other towns In the vicinity. Perhaps
I ono town the burglar y soon
and a description obtained. Perhaps
the police Of another place know his
identity. Gradually by comparison
and elimination crime is linked with
crime, offender with suspect. until
finally the case IL brought 20 a point
where an arrest can he effected and
the finger print register employed to
show connection with previous SEN
fences"
No discussion OF detective methods
IN Germany and Austria would be
adequate without an understanding of
the Meldewesen or registration sys-
TEN. by which zach community. large
and small, keeps track of the move
ments Of Its residents.
This system" said Mr.. Fosdick.
has reached its greatest development
In Germany. and to it's operation in
that country our discussion In con-
fined. Briefly, the laws oblige all per-
rone In q community to report their
arrival, departure or change OF dwell
ing within the police boundaries. A
citizen who moves for example. from
Coblenz to Berlin must within
twenty-tour hours after arrival file
with the police OF the latter city his
Anmeldung or announcement OF ap-
pearance. This gives his name. his
business. the day. month and year OF
his birth. place of birth. his religion.
his former residence. and whether he
is married. single or widowed. II he
IL n foreigner or a transient and stops
at A hotel the hotel proprietor must
notify the police OF his appearance. A
man Of any nationality who spends a
single night az a hotel or lodging
house in any German town or city
has his name fled at police h%eaduuar-
,ers, although In the case Of foreign
ers II is not customary to procure
the detailed information required OF
German citizens.
Not, only must a new arrival in a
German city himself TO the
police. but in many places h" must
present a certificate NJ character
CAhzugsattesp from the police " the
locality which he left. He IL also gen
orally required tn produce other doCu-
ments Of Identification. such as his
birth certificate. his marriage certih-
cate or his army discharge papers.
In many towns and cities the police
o. the community from which he
comes are communicated with and An
inquiry made as 20 whether he has a
past criminal record.
similarly II there IS a birth in his
family. II he employs a new servant,
II he has a visitor from out ~ town,
or II ne changes his reIderc" within
the city limits Dt'mmelduug) the police
must he notified. If he moves away
from the city ne must not only an
nouncc the fact CAhmeldungl bur
mus, ohta;n from the police a chsrac-
ter certificate to he presented 20 the
police - his new residence.
I'm Berlin. where the system has
been in operation since 1886. II 600 900
carjr ar" row on file. u the bureau
employing 200 men and occupying lSr
rooms. l. one OF the principa'
branches 4 the department. Its size
l. evidenced by IN. fact tina, tbs
letter II alone Ais ton rooms. while
the ,ettor : occupies ifteen. Indeed
;ho enormous detail involved IN tNi'
system is perhaps its most striking
point. The cards Civ" the ann nj
~, persons VINO were horn in Rerlir
w WHO hPve n any lime been In
Rcrliu.
The connecting link between tht
> Ne'dcvcser and the detective depart
uHeut Is furnished ~ me Steckhrief
tbs r. q notice a.. warning ~ me-
wanted for crime. Each important pa
lice jurisdiction u Germany ana Au"'
tria publishes . daily or weekly pan.
or journal tFahndungshlHtD contain
ing the names or descriptions Of suCt
men. and uelghhorlng police bodies ar,
constantly on the watch to identlf,
and arrest them. The names puD'
..~hcd i'm these Journals are t:anscriuc
IN cards which IN mos; of the German
states form an integral part ~ th'
Mcldewtser. For tbs purpose red inl
IS used instead Of black,
"The name of a man wanted ny TN
. Berlin police. therefore, will appear IL
the Me.dewesen hle nf perhaps AIT,
=, towns and cities. If the man ever reg
: i,ters IN any ~ these places. cvor
y twenty years later, the fdc' that he /
wanted by tho Pcr'in police rs i'm
mediatelY discovered, for "a red inke
card bearing his name and the particu
lars of his case is found in the alpha
bette file.
: Through this means many men ar
=, arrested IN Berlin who are wanted n,
l. the police not only of other Germal
{ cities but ~ the cities of France. Aus
. tria and Hungary, for IL is customar
tn enter in the hle the names or al
= international criminals OF inportanc
= for whom alarms have been sent gu
i by foreign countries. In Vienna i
1912 1926 people were thus caught.
similarly, whenever Il man is ar
, rested fo- any cause, the Mriirwes-