San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-06
Hectic Days In
Liz or N York
BY JESSIE HENDERSON.

h
New York, April 5.-Keeping
something under your hat is moth
ing to what the reorganized squad
of New York police women are GO
ing to keep on the top of their hats,
for all the world TO see. But although
the world will see it, only the initial
ed will know the inwardness of the
little fancy device across the front
OF the headpiece, which goes with the
new "dress up" uniform.
To the outsider, the ordinary citi-
zen, or the ordinary subway masher,
the thing on the police lady's hat
will be merely bit of ornamental
ton. To any member of the police
force, however, the bit of ornament
will be as complete an identification
as if the lady wore her photograph
pasted on the hat, together with her
finger prints and description.
at may be Chinese to you. or
Greek either" said Mrs. Mary Ham
ilton, official head of the 100 patrol
women, removing her hat and placing
it on her desk in the CHEEKY office
at police headquarters. She pointed
to the strange medley of embroidery
decoration.
Herself in Code.
"Here," she explained, ais the shape
of my nose and ear, the color of
my eyes, my height, my name and
my finger print. The patrol woman
of New York City is going to wear
all these things on her forehead so
that if she is in an accident or meets
with foul play and her hat is found
an Identification may be established. "
But" you protested. cying the
embroidered medallion, where's the
fingerprint and where's the shape OF
the nose and the rest of it,"
fright here" Mrs. Hamilton re-
piled, an amused twinkle in her keen
gray, fright here where any other
policeman will see it Immediately. To
you the device is only an informing
ling of squares and circles and strange
figures. But that's because the
Identification tag is in code.
It's called long distance identifi'
cation We have Denmark 20 thank
for the idea. This strange little
slanting thing, and this half circle
and this angle, each has code NUN.
Der. If / were kidnapped, and man
aged TO drop my hat, the patrol wo-
man who picked it up. would decode
the ornament. She would see, for
example-just for the sake of argu.
ment-that angle was numbered 2t
in the code book. No. 26 stands
let us say, for 'aquiline nose This
slanting thing might be numbered
TO which might mean fingerprint
SO and So You get the idea?
Oh! That Uniform!
"Another advantage of this sort 81
Identification is that persons whole
description can be put on one line
of n telegraph blank. Thus as, 1
%, g. means blue eyes, dark brown
hair, height six feet and so on. Every
patrol woman is going to wear her
code portrait embroidered on a rib
bon across the hat of her new uni
form. And / hope the day is not
far distant when every woman-to-
gether with every man and child
will have an official Identification.
Babies should be footprinted at birth
older people should be fingerprint-
ed"
Let nobody suppose, however, that
the one hundred patrol women, who
are making life one arrest after an.
other for the subway Washers, will
burst forth into uniform. No, in
deed. At work the patrol women
dress becomingly and smartly and in
accordance with the styles. That's
why it is so difficult for the subway
masher to believe he's "pinched" when
the calm voiced, chic lady whom he
has been annoying suggests that he
come along quietly to the nearest
police station. But on dress parade
occasions, the snappy squad of one
hundred are about TO blossom in suits
of French blue. of a grayish. tlnge
with an English type of coat that has
lapels and a slightly flaring hem
skirts of sensible brevity. while Sam
Browne belts; white felt hats with
a sailor brim and the black satin
ribbon bearing their code descriptions.
white gloves-and white carnation
in the lapel buttonhole.
In this uniform, they will escort
distinguished visitors, march in
parades and incidentally make an
everlasting hit.
On ordinary days and occasions.
watch out-if you are inclined TO
flirt or to shoplift-for the fanciful
monogram. And when you've spot
ted one, you'll probably merely have
spotted the newest Easter bonnet
with the Chinese device which Paris
this season has decreed. All in all,
filtration hereabouts isn't what it
used to be.