Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-22
From Yesterdays $50 Edition of The Star.
GREAT j. S. BUREAU
CURB UPON CRIME
National and World Center ia
Identity Criminals Planned
by Daugherty.

A great NATIONAL and international
bureau for the Identification of Grim.
inals, the dream of criminoIogista
Everywhere. will be established by the
federal government, to be located in
Washington, and operated by the De.
partment of Justice
This was officially announced yester-
day by William J. Burns, director of the
bureau of investigation OF the De-
partment of Justice. Decision has
been reached by the Attorney Gen.
eral, Mr.. Burns said, after exhaustive
study Of opposing recommendations
and conferences with the proponents
OF several different schemes. Only
a few formal and perfunctory details
remain to be arranged.
VIII Absorb Present Board.
The first sep will be to absorb the
National Bureau of Criminal Identifl-
cation, conducted under the auspices
of the Chiefs of Police National As
ISOLATION, with headquarters in the
National Bank of Washington build
ing, at 7th and c streets northwest.
With this associations records VIII
be consolidated all the records Of tho
federal government on criminals. The
institution later will be expanded
! until it soon will be the largest in
stitutfon of its kind in the world
according to Mr.. Burns.
E. Van Buskirk, superintendent OF
the national bureau of criminal ider-
tifcation, and his present force will
be taken over by the Department Of
Justice, Mr.. Burns said. Mr.. Van Bus
kirk is considered by the bureau OF
investiga ton as ''one of the best ex-
to Director Burns.
Seek Separate Quarters.
For the present the federal bureau
! of Identification will probably be To-
Gated in its present Offices. but as
soon as space can be provided by the
| public buildings commission, it will
, be moved to larger quarters. which
will be badly needed.
In this great federal Identification
| bureau will be concentrated the rec,
ord. history. photograph and finger
! prints of every known criminal. To il
| will be sent all records of all chiefs
| OF police. sheriffs and peace officers
: throughout the nation. who will num-
! Der their records to correspond with
I The federal bureau. In this bureau,
| Nh. Burns said. will be placed on file
eve1-y book, paper, or periodical ever
writhSn on crime, so that eventually
the institution will be the leading
authoritp for students of criminoiogy.
VIII Have World Status.
Eventually the institution is ex-
pected TO grSTb he INTO ,he ane1 81 ma
government in corporation with
other nations through the State De
| partment in the deteeuon OF lnterna-
| tional crooks.
The federal bureau will broadcast
! its warnings and its orders TO "look
/ out for" criminals by a powerful
radio station throughout the entire
country, SO that the bureau WIN be
| the nerve center by radio lar the ma
tons officers of the law AarvelouS
has been ,bs MAGE de,e ct o Of
criminals. Mr. Burns said, and pho-
! tographs may easily be broadcast
Police the country over VIII be en-
couraged to install up-to-date re-
ceivins sets.
Predicts Cut in Crime.
Attorney General Daugherty has
S SH!ia this Standard nSEs1l OF Of ecieney
function so as to give the people OF
this e91ntry the e,,f grea nredtctea thai
with the cooperation OF federal,
state and county officials the bureau
could operate so effectixely tnaI W.
can restrict activities of the crlmina1
| tn such an extent that where he conI-
! mitted twenty crimes before ne WIZ
| then commit only three
| AS a deterrent to crime. the contra
identification bureau will perform
one OF its greatest services to Amer
lea. in the opinion of Mr.. Burns, VINO
declared it to be the Longest ana
| most advanced step taken in what We
! call the application of preventive
measures.
Urged for Years.
| For years the federal bureau 81
+, criminal identification which Will
| probably become it's name, has been
! the subject of recommendations b.!
! the National Association OF Chiefs OF
| Police who at their last convention
; in San Francisco went on record as
! Urging its establishment as soon as
possible.
| ogists have recommended such bu-
/ reau. said Sir Basil Thompson, the emf
nent British criminologist. formerly
! of Scotland Yard London. declaring
! that in his opinion it was America $
/ greatest need against crime.
! The national bureau of criminal
/ Identification which will be taken over
! as a nucleus by the Department of
/ Justice. is an outgrowth of begin
ming in that direction started years
ago by Maj. Richard sylvester. who
| for several years was chief of police
! of the District of Columbia.