Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-23
FACE
.f|NGERPR|NT ORDER
Hesse Tells Police to Photo
graph "FIagrant violators"
for "Rogues' Gallery"

fragrant violators" of the prohi.
bition laws in the National Capital
today joined the ranks OF other
criminals as prospective clients of the
local "rogues' gallery" by virtue of a
special order issued by Maj. Edwin B.
Hesse. superintendent of police.
Effective Immediately, all persons
arrested in Washington for major
liquor offenses will be carefully photo
graphed and fingerprinted, and their
criminal Identification records will
be filed at police headquarters in the
Bureau of Criminal Identification.
fragrant" flouting of the national
prohibition act is specified in the order
as embracing transportation and sale
of intoxicants. illegal possession Of
a still, land so forth"
Order Is Surprise.
Transporting is further qualified
to mean transportation of liquor in
vehicles and apparently does not in
clude cases where intoxicants are
being carried on the person.
The order. which came as a sur
prise in police circles, follows:
at Is directed that from and after
this date all persons arrested for
fragrant violation of the national pro-
hibition act. such as transporting in
vehicles. selling. illegal possession Of
still, ETC.. are to be carefully finger
printed and. wherever possible. pho
tographed.
THE said fingerprint records will
be forwarded to the assistant super
intendent commanding the Detective
Bureau for proper classification and
file in the Bureau of Criminal Iden-
tification.'
The order, which was sent to all
police officials, precinct comman ders
and other authorities in the Police De-
partment, was signed by Maj. Hesse.
1t was being printed for distribution
to the precincts this afternoon.
Maj. Hesse, explaining issuance Of
the order. said that it had been found
necessary to obtain a complete record
of all law violators in Washington in
order to facilitate investigations.
May Deter Crime.
"Rum.runners." he asserted, "often
graduate into other types of criminals.
and in the past we sometimes have
found that a fingerprint and photo
graphic record would have been Of in
who formerly had been arrested for
breaking the liquor law.
Furthermore, the new policy may
act as a deterrent to would-be vio-
lators of the prohibition act. An
example of the effect of such a plan
was noted by the police some time ago.
when, during a big convention and
parade here, we fingerprinted and
photographed every itinerant peddler
who appeared on the streets. We
noticed that the next time there was
similar large gathering the peddlers
were conspicuously absent. They
didn't like the rogues' gallery busi-
ness at ALL"
Under the plan promulgated today.
the fingerrrints will be taken at the
precinct station houses, and whenever
possible photographs also will be
taken. This will be done Immediately
upon arrest Of fragrant violators" and
the records will go into the gallery re-
CARELESS OF whether the prisoner later
is cleared in court.
1t is the belief. 1t Is said, that the
records not only will greatly assist
police in identifying "old offenders"
but will aid materially in the cam
paign to obtain respect for the pro-
hilton law in Washington.