Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-05
POLICE BUREAU
FOR NATION Is
TIMELY MOVE
Crime Wave Has One Good Re-
suit in Awakening Interest
in Proposal.
TO IDENTIFY CROOKS
BY FREDERIC j. HAsK1N.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The proposed
national police bureau at Washington
supported by the Federal Government
for the identification of criminals, is the
one constructive suggestion which has
come forth as a result of the crime wave
which is sweeping the country.
The present reign Of banditry has had
at least one good effect in that it has
awakened the American people to some
extent to the fact that their police sys
tens are utterly inadequate. That major
crimes such as murder and robbery are
many times as prevalent in the United
State as IN any Of the principal European
countries; that life and property are to-
day less safe In some OF our principal
cities than they were in the far West In
pioneer days are unsavory facts which
are just beginning to come home to US.
There are a number of reasons for this
One of them is undoubtedly the fact that
our statute books are numbered with
unenforceable laws which bring all law
into contempt and which tend to make
of the policeman a sort Of moral censor
instead of a criminal catcher. Another
reason Is that We have a heterogeneous
and shifting population. which presents
one of the most difficult police problems
In the world.
But one of the most important reasons
is that we have always put up with in
efficient police forces. They are largely
dominated by politics and are usually
run by men who have no training as
police executives but are chosen for rea
sons of political expediency.
Furthermore, these men usually hold
office only for brief periods, so that they
have no opportunity to learn by expe-
rience the difficult profession which they
- v.-atk LII
there Is little cooperation between the
various police departments, and 1t Is
this lack Of cooperation, of any national
system for combating crime, which the
proposed Federal Bureau would seek to
remedy.
TRAVELLING YEGG
NOW TYPICAL.
The travelling criminal has become the
typical one in this country. The really
enterprising burglar operates not in one
city. but in three or four. He travels
freely by rail and dasbes across State
lines In high powered motor cars. He
has associates and hangouts In all OF
the points on his circuit The criminals
have taken full advantage Of modern
rapid transit facilities and OF the posi-
bllities OF cooperation It opens up. but
the police have done nothing adequate TO
There is no other important country,
whether its police system consists of a
national organization or Of a series Of
local ones, that has not at least estsb-
lished d national bureau Of Identification.
Oven Canada leads US in this respect.
In this country the need for such CO.
operation has long been felt and some
efforts have been made to meet the need
IN California there is State bureau OF
Identification and a number OF the Vest
ern coast cities have voluntary cooper
alive organization by >Lh they eT
change Identification data. Finally,
national bureau OF criminal Identification
was recently tablishsd in Washington
by the international Association Of
Chiefs Of Police. and II Is hard at work
today gathering Identification data. 1t
is sound in principle and useful, but It
is merely a private enterprise which
can not command adequate support. 1t
provides the nucleus for a national po-
lice department, such as has been recent
" suggested in authoritative quarters.
It has been suggested that such a ma
tional organization might be a new Gov
eminent department with a Cabinet
member at it's head or else It might be
merely a bureau OF the Department of
Justice man Of large callber. with
scientific knowledge and practical ex
perience Of police methods, such as Ar
thur Woods or Raymond b. Fosdick,
would be placed at the head of it.
NOT TO BE FEDERAL
POLICE FORCE.
This department would by no means
constitute a Federal police force 1t is
recognized that, especially In this coun-
try, the police problem is a local prob
lem The national organization would be
al a
clearing house by which the photographs,
finger prints and Bertillon measurements
possessed by each police department
would be available to oil. 1t would also
probably catalog descriptions Of stolen
property and distinguishing Characters
tics of varions major crimes, so that
criminal would he recognized by his
work whenever he committed a crime.
1t is evident that such a bureau could
do an immense amount Of good without
in the leas interfering with the autonomy
of local police forces. For example, to-
day many Of our smaller police forces
have two systems Of Identifying crimi-
nals-the finger print and the Bertillon
measurement Furthermore, In many OF
the smaller cities, neither of the systems
is correctly used-there is no one in the
force who understands them. The ma
tional police bureau could see to II that
one standard system was used every
where and that In every police force
there was man who understood the
making and keeping Of these records.
This one comparatively inexpensive move
would do much TO make life harder for
our leading criminals.
The dangerous professional criminal
who finds It too hot for him in his IA
vorite large city, such as New York or
Chicago, is now very apt to rusticate for
a while in some smaller town in the
knowledge that he is probably quite safe
there. II the police do take him up on
some minor charge the chances are that
they will never find out who he Is. He
NAV get into Jail on a vagrancy charge
and stay there comfortably, with little
chance that he will be sent back to New
York to face the major charges against
him
When New York had a brief reign OF
police efficiency a few years ago the
small towns In New Jersey were deluged
with criminals who gave the feeble locat
police forces hard life. The criminals
were merely rusticating for a while, UNI
til conditions should become more IA
vorable to their profession In the metrOr>
oils. They did not have long to wait.
All of this easy system of escape by
travel would become impossible II we
had an efficient national bureau OF
Identification And this bureau be ex-
noudad In n pOod many WAYS II might,