The Washington herald., 1921-08-07

I berries and with the report OF each
case the detectives making the in
vestigation were confident that the
various "jobs" were the work Of
/ the same man.
Sandberg was called out on -eacti-,.
case and made a thorough search
for fngerprints. but in vain. 7he
burglar suddenly ceased his opers-
tIons and remained inactive for
about two weeks. when he entered
house near Ninth and X streets
northwest -
The bouse had been freshly !,
painted and the burglar in gaining
entrance TO the house left a pEsnt
Of his thumb on the freshly painted.
window frame. 4ES
SandberE removed the print ana ]
took IL TO police headquarters where
he compared it with those in his :
nIe and established the identity % 3
the burglar. whose arrest soon IoI--z
lowed. q.
H T. Burlingame, a member of
the local police department. has
been associated with Detective
Sergt- Sandberg in Identification
work for the past five years. and Is
rapidly coming to the fore as
hngerprint expert of note.
THE work Of the bureau OF iden-
tifcatiOn Of the local police
department has Increased 20
such an extent that Maj. Harry l.
Gessford. superintendent of police.
will probably detail another assist
ant for that division within the next
few days
An idea of the value Of the finger
print system 10 the local police is
clearly illustrated in the report OF
Detective Sandberg to the ma ajor =
and superintendent OF police for the
fiscal year ending June 30. 1920. 70
During that year, 34e identiaca- .
tions were made through the finger.
print system while only forty were
made through the Bertinon system.
According TO the report, Detec-
tive Sandberg or his assistant were ,
called upon during the period END -
ing June 80. 1920. TO visit and ex-
anime seventy-four scenes Of crime
for possible hnEerprint evidence
and succeeded "a obtaining such
evidence in forty-Three cases b~'
In some Of these cases." the re-
port states, the prints were from
the palm OF the hands or from the
tips OF the fingers, the patterns mot,
being complete enough to make a
search Of our files. but there was
establish the identity Of the guilty
person IL apprehended. In several
cases where arrests were made. .the
officers secured confessions ara.r
the guilt OF the accused had been
established through fngerprint evI-
dence; in other cases il was the
veans OF establishing the inno-
cence of persons suspected"
IN HIS REPORT. Sandberg cites a
case where fngerprints were the
means of identifying a man who
was shot and killed. February -.
1920, by a member Of the detective
bureau. when resisting arrest after
having burglarized a house and car
ried away several thousands Of dol
lars worth OF silver.
Shortly before the wounded man
died at the Emergency Hospital.
several detectives questioned him in
an effort to establish his identity.
but were unsuccessful in their ef-
forts.
Following the death Of he man.
Detective Sandberg took his finger
prints and photographed and sent
them TO several cities and penal in
stitutions. He was Identified by the
bureaus at the United States pcni-
tentiary. Leavcnworth. Kan. and
New Jersey State pcnitcntiary at
Trenton, n. j. as a man who was
received at tho latter institution on
September IS. 1918. under sentence
Of Si= TO Il years for burglary. ana
who escaped on June "a. 1919.
| Both Sandberg and Burlingamc
have frequently rendered assistance
to the different government DEPART
ments in Identification work.
1T o LEAVE the question of
the use OF the finEerprint 10
the police. that OF universal
hngerprinting is rapidly coming to
the fore as a question Of Importance
and the convention OF the Intcrna-
tionaI Association for Identification
will be national in its scope.
The program of the sessions has
not been completed as yet but il is
known that the highest authorities
on fngerPrints will he in attendance
at the sessions and read various
papers on the subject. J. II. Taylor.
chief of the Naval Identification
Bureau, is chairman of the enter
tainnent committee and is arranE-
J ing an elaborate program for the
entertainment of the visitors.
Officers of the association are:
II. w. Caldwell, Oakland, Cal, pres