The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-02
Frederick Haskin' etterl
National Finger Print System

tional system OF instrumentation II
being urged By finger print experts,
According to the proposed plan
three sets Of the finger prints OF
each person In this country over
five years Of age would be taken,
One sst-would be filed at a nation
al bureau OF identification at Wash
ington. The second copy would
go to a bureau at the capital of the
state in which the individual
lived. And the third copy would
be filed with local officials OF his
city or county.
With this system. it is claimed
puzzles of identity would be re.
duced ITO a minimum. Finger
prints can now be so completely
classified and filed that when
pattern is presented for identified.
ton file experts can quickly ascer.
tain whether or not the same prinl
is in their collection.
Thus, suppose a man suffering
from aphasia were found wander
ing about the streets of southern
city. People are singularly care
less about carrying marks of iden
| tiication, and it might easily hap
pen that a Chicago shop label In {
hat would be the only clue to hi.
identity.
The mans finger prints would b'
taken and compared with prints O
the same type in the local cit,
file. If he were not found there
the Chicago bureau of Identification
would be asked to compare hi
prints with similar exhibits il
their file. If he were not among
the residents of Chicago, the ma
tional bureau would search its rec
ords. Once the man was identi
| fed, bis next of kin, as named OF
his niger print card, would be no
titled.
By a similar process the major
| ity of unidentified dead could be re
turned to their families. We ar,
told. Detectives say that ever.
year 10000 unidentified dead arr
buried in the potter's fields in thi;
country. More than 100000 womel
are reported missing each year
while kidnapped and lost children
and missing men constitute a seri
GUS problem for every community
An Identification bureau, 0
course, will not make it mucl
easier to locate a person who -
disappeared out of his normal en-
vironments, leaving no trace. Blu
every such person who turns vi
unidentified at a police headquar
tiers or hospital or morgue can b.
almost surely traced through a Ma
.tional fingerprint system.
Even in. cases of drowning ant
death caused by burns, where ;
body is most difficult to identify
finger prints can often be of grea
assistance. Persons who are over
taken by violent death are apt t,
clench the hands, and the skin Of
the finger tips is thus protected
Finger prints have played an i'm
portaGt part in a number of case
OF this sort when they could b,
compared with existing finger priv
records. This has been possible
when the victim turned out to have
been a criminal, previously fingel
printed by police department, o.
when he had been in the army O.
navy. When in such a case M
record can be found, the finge
print clues on body are useless.
Protection to Every Citizen.
According to H. W. Bennett, fin
ger print expert of this city, ever
citizen should realize that a com
plete national finger printing sys
tenn would be- valuable protectio
to him. When real need to identif
someone or to prove personal iden
tity arises, the situation is gener
ally urgent, and no, one know
when SUCH an emergency may oe
I cur in his own life. Unfortunatel
only a few classes of people-de
tectives. bankers, insurance me-
and police officials, principally
appreciate the Importance of cor
elusive identification. 1t is ne
easy to stir up enthusiasm anon
the public, Mr.. Bepnett says, BIZ
cause the average citizen is Ii,
personally interested until he ha
q specific need for Identification.
Another difficulty in arousing il
.terest in the proposed bureau
that taking finger prints has bee
almost exclusively associated wit
crime. The law abiding individu;
is apt to be reluctant, therefore,
undergo the process. For thes
: reasons it may be some time b.
fore the bureau becomes a fac
Bills for its establishment are sid
tracked because there is no gel
: eral demand for the project