Evening star., 1932-11-25
ASK CENTRAL UNIT /
FOR CRIME DATA
Experts, After Study, Advise
Standard Classification
to Aid Research.
By REX COLLIER.

b1 HEA COLLIEh.
Pointing to the need for a compre-
hensive national integration Of criminal
statistics TO aid society in the war on
crime, committee of outstanding So
biologists and other experts has recon-
mended to the United States Bureau OF
Investigation and the Census Bureau a
standard classification Of crime In the
interest OF research.
All crimes known to police, penal in
stitutions and the courts hereafter
would be grouped into is subdivisions,
starting with criminal homicide" and
running the gamut of offenses to q sin
gle grouping Of miscellaneous violations
The report of the committee. which
was headed by Prof. L. G. Marshall OF
Johns Hopkins University. and which
included President-elect RooSevelt's eco
nonic adviser, Prof. Raymond Moley
of Columbia University, was made pub
lie today by j. Edgar Hoover. director
Of the Bureau of Investigation.
Hoover announced in an accompany
ing statement that the Bureau OF IN
vestigation already has adopted the
classification suggested by the commit
tee. other members OF which were 6ruce
Smith and Miss Audrey Davis OF the
Institute of Public Administration. Prof..
w. Z. Mikell of the University OF Penn
sylvania, Dean Justin Miller OF Duke
University, DR.. Thorsten Seinn Q! tne
Census Bureau, and James j. waters
Of the Bureau OF Investigation
Clearing House" Stressed.
Need for a national clearing house"
for judicial statistics on crime was en-
phasized by the committee: ;,
THE Bureau Of Investigation, the
report said, "has been established as
the central collecting agency OF Nation
wide police statistics. The Bureau OF
the Census has long had correspond
ing position In the field of penal sta
tistics. The one gap in the framework
is that no such central agency has as
vet been established in the field OF Ju-
dicial criminal statistics. This gap
should be filled"
The classes into which all criminal
offense should be catalogued, the COM
rnittee stated, are: Criminal homicide,
robbery assault, burglary (breaking or
entering), larceny theft, forgery ana
counterfeiting, sex offenses, violations
of narcotic and drug laws, carrying
deadly weapons, non-support or neglect
of family or children, violations OF
Nouor laws, violations Of trafhc or mo-
tor vehicle laws, disorderiy conduct
drunkenness-vagrancy, gambling ana
~ai1 other offenses."
All unlawful killings" are listed un-
der criminal homicide. THESE would
include all degrees of murder and man
slaughter. but would exclude assaults
with intent to kill.
kidnapping was not given o separate
heading by the experts. This crime,
along with q long list Of ofenses. such
as arson, bombing, blackmail, bribery,
perjury, criminal syndicalism, rioting,
bigamy, ETC., was catalogued under
miscellany.
At Work Almost Year.
The committee has been at work for
nearly year. Opinions were sought
from attorneys general of all the States,
cilairmen of judicial councils, the Exec
utsve Council of the American Law In
stitute and many other authorities.
To enable crime analysts to obtain q
fIill perspective of the crime picture in
America. the committee recommended
that each of the states compile at least
an annual report OF police, prison and
court statistics for submission to some
national agency, presumably some de-
partment or departments OF the United
States Government" which would pub
lish summary data. The eventual goal
would be national publication Of COM
prehensive criminal statistics"
"while no Federal agency has yet
attempted to collect judicial statistics
on a national scale" Hooyer's statement
said, "the United States Bureau Of
Investigation has, for some time past.
collected, compiled and published
'offenses known to the police using a
uniform classification of offenses ap-
proved by the International Association
OF Chiefs of Police. The Census Bureau
likewise has been collecting, compiling
and publishing penal statistics based
on a classification Of oqenses which, al
though not essentially different fross
that used by the Bureau of Investiga-
ton, was not susceptible Of ready
comparison.
Reporting System Not Affected.
'It was the consensus at the confer
enee Of experts that standard classi-
hcation might be devised which would
permit of comparison among the three
groups Of criminal statistics. The re-
port Of the special committee sets up
standard classification which, 1t is be-
lieved. essentially meets this problem
The committees plan marks
distinct improvement h criminal sta
tictics, because 1t places the work Of
the two existing national agencies on a
comparable basis and makes possible
the integration Of judicial statistics with
police and penal statistics.
THE adoption Of the standard classi-
6cation by the Bureau Of Investigation
Will not necessitate any adjustments or
changes In the national system Of police
reporting which has been under devel-
opment by that bureau for the past