Evening star., 1921-12-25

Delegation, Tells of the
Centralized System OF
France - Police Depart
ments of the Cities and the
State Studies Washing
ton Identification System.
BY JAMES MARTIN MILLER
N GEORGES A. +. Vanaise,
jh commissaire special de
police, ministere des regions
liberees, is the head of the
French secret service in Washington
with the French delegation. When
Premier BRAND and NJ Viviani returned
to France, Monsieur Vanais sent
with each one OF the men he brought
here with him. He brought two COM
missaires and two inspectors. NJ. VAN
aise will remain in Washington until
the conference adjourns or until all the
French delegates return home.
NJ. Vanaise speaks English well. Five
United States operatives were detailed
to assist him in his work of protecting
the French statesmen attending the
conference.
NJ. Nanaise gives high praise to the
attention accorded him by the officials
of the United States secret service and
the police officials of Washingto ION. Act
ing Superintendent Sullivan OF the
Metropolitan police department, In
spector C. l.. Grant and Capt. A. ].
tended NJ. Vanaise and his men every
courtesy. They explained the Washing
ton police system in great detail. The
visitor was also given an opportunity
to study the United States secret serv-
ice organization by Chief William j.
Burns at the Department of Justice.
This gave NJ. Vanaise the opportunity
he desired to compare our systems with
those of France.
NJ. Vanaise, perhaps, learned more
about our secret service and police
organizations than most Washingtonians
know, for the reason that most of US
do not take the time to inform our
selves thoroughly about municipal and
governmental affairs.
In a city not far from Washington
one OF our foreign visitors was address
ing a high school. He was making a
study of municipal matters and he had
become pretty we'll informed regarding
this particular city. The principal of
the high school wanted mis- students TO
get all the benefit they could from the
talk ON practical ci.ics. The polite lee
turer from a foreign land asked: Where
does the water supply for this city come
from and do you have a filtration plant
here to purify the water" There was
no response from his big audience OF
high school students OF all grades.
After d considera BILE wait one big boy,
u senior, arose and said in facetious
manner: Il only know that the water
comes out OF the faucet" The entire
school laughed heartily at this answer.
But the incident spoiled any benefit that
might have been derived from an in
s,ructive talk. This foreign gentleman
asked the writer afterward ii l didn't
think there was a lack Of seriousness
on the part OF the young people OF
America in their studies.
M Vanaise is an Intelligent and OBJ.
serving Frenchman, making some
thing of a study OF those particular
things in his special line during his
sojourn in the United States. He con-
sented to give his impressions foI
the benefit OF the readers of The Sun.
day Star. He said:
!: = =
HT>HE traffic regulations in Wash.
ington are almost perfect and
you certainly have a very etiicien,
police service. l understand that Mr.
Emo, formerly police commissioner OF
New York, now living in Washing
ton, is to be credited as a master
mind in helping to bring about the
high efficiency here. Capt. Headley
has built UP one of the most etiicien,
traffic bureaus here in Washington
that know Of.
In France there is more centrali-
zation, however, in the police organi-
zatiou, as well as in the secret SerV-
ice. For instance. the federal gov
ernment here seems to have secret
services for each of the principal de-
partments. The Department of State
the Treasury Department, the De.
partment of Justice and the Post
Office Department each has its own
secret service. In France the national
secret service is centralized and there
is only one organization for all de-
partments of the government, except
the military.
"A centralized police organization
has authority over all the police in
the eighty-three departments of the
republic, except the cities OF Paris,
Marseille, Lyon, Tulouse and Nice
These are under the minister of the
interior, at Paris. The mayors of the
over the police. This operates to keeI
the police out of local politics, fol
one thing.
Il was very much interested in the
fingerprint system for the identified
ton of prisoners here, which seems to
have practically supplanted the Ber.
tillon system. Mr.. Sanberg. head OF
the identification bureau, is an expert
in fingerprints. We are beginning
to use that system in France and
was much interested in inquiring
into it. In Paris We have, at the Cen.
trail police station, about 100000
photographs of criminals. We take
the front and profile of each criminal
While occasionally we have a tough
American prisoner, l am glad to say
they are not as numerous as the SUB