The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-20

j: EXPERTS HOLD.
CONVENTION
Sergt. Fred Sandberg to Give
Address on Finger Prints
at Des Moines. =
BY GEORGE FRANKLIN.


How finger prints left at the
scene of crime by criminals have re
suited in the capture Of many crooks
by the Washington police during
the past year will be, told members
of the International Association of
Identification Experts in session at
Des Moines. Iowa, by Fred. Sand
berg, finger print expert, at the
local police department.. I
Recently Sergeant ;, Safidberg
achieved one of his many remark
able identifications OF men wanted
for past crimes when through the
peculiarities of a tot finger prints
Just, taken he forced "a prisoner to
confess committing"a series of local
robberies, ,'~ -a~s :. Il 4es...
Finger Prints Force Confession.
/ +. In : this instance set" of finger
prints, or rather copies eof finger
prints left by the criminal while
committing robbery, had eeposed
beneath the glass on the according
clerks desk of the identified ton bu-
reau for several montEAa41n the
course of time a prisoner was
brought in< His finger prints were
taken. When Sergeant 1Sandberg
examined them he believed he had
seen them before. About them were
certain pecularities indicating the vo-
cation of the man to be that sof
dishwasher. Sergeant Sandberg
looked through his, file cases. Then
in passing the recording clerks
desk he CHANGED to note the finger
prints beneath the glass He ex-
amined them. A close comparison
revealed them to be those of the
prisoner. When the latter was con-
fronted With the evidence and told
the. finger. prints had been found
at the scene Of. the robbery, he
quickly admitted the crime. and to
it added a confession clearing up
seven other robberies.
It has. been the contention Of
Sergeant Sandberg that latent finger
prints, latent in this instance mean
ing those left by the criminal while
engaged in committing a crime, are
factors in identifying the
criminal. The results of his work in
tracing and identifying criminals
through this method will be given
the Identification experts in the
lecture he will deliver.
Bertillion System Fails.
Within recent years the Bertillion
system as an infallible method of
Identification has come into ques-
tion.. The number of instances in
which duplicate measurements, with
in the prescribed variations, have
been obtained, coupled with the dd-
herence to types shown by the ac-
cornpanying photographs, have given
Identification experts nO.sy little
trouble. In the finger prints, 1t
has been proved, no such confusing
similarity has been observed. So far
as known no exact duplicates have
been obtained, although hundreds of
thousands of persons have had their
finger prints recorded for Identified
ton purposes. Sergeant Sapdberg
insists finger prints are the only
dependable marks of Identification to
be obtained and that wherever left
they may be depended upon to es-
tablish the identity of the individual
making them.
One of the advantages of the finger
prints, he explained before leaving
for Des Moines, lies in the ease with
which they are taken as compared
with the work of taking the Bertil-
lion measurements Where various
instruments are"to be employed, and
where other elements Of the system
depend on reading of the pecu-
laritfes by the Identification man,
variations are apt to creep in. This
is particularly true in defining the
eye, as eyes change in quality OF
color to. such an extent that blue
eve will sometimes appear to be
black, and a gray eye blue.
Criminals have also demonstrated
their ability to SO alter their APP
pearances that when they are pho
graphed and the print is COM
pared with a photograph formerly
taken, little, if sany, resemblance
existed between them.
Cannot Be Altered.
On the other hand, it is impos-
sible to alter the character of the
ridges making up the groundwork
of the finger prints to an extent
causing uncertainty as to the iden-
LITIGATION of the maker. 1t has
also been demonstrated in the
broadest possible way that finger
print taking is not affected, by the
personal element as represented
by the operator.
So important has identification OF
criminals become through the opera
ton of police Identification bureaus,
with the recognition of Sergeant
Sandburg as among the leading
finger-print experts of the world,
that it is possible he will be adj
vanced to the rank of lieutenant
of police and detailed as inspec-
tor in charge of the Bureau of
Identification. This would place
him on. an equal footing with men
employed in similar capacities in
other cities. incidentally Ser
geant Sandberg was formerly head
Of the association in session at
Des Moines, which is now presided
over by Major Reno of Leaven-
worth Penitentiary.
There is a likelihood that the
establishing of a federal bureau
Of identification, where all crimi-
nal Identification records will be
filed, will be undertaken in Wash
ington after Congress convenes.
In national police circles Sergeant
Sandberg, it is understood, has
been mentioned as properly quail
fled to. take charge of such
bureau.