Evening star., 1932-08-09
International RogueS' GAL
Iery Set Up Under U. S.
Bureau of Investigation.
LEADING NATIONS JOIN
HANDS IN NEW EFFORT
J. Edgar Hoover Explains Wide
Cooperation of Police
Authorities.
BY REX COLLIER,

by the United States Bureau of Inves-
tigation has proved so valuable in the
war on crime that decision has been
reached to give the gallery a world
wide scope.
The concerted drive on the interna-
tional criminal was begun last March
under the supervision of j. Edgar Hoo
yer. director of the Federal Brxeau. in
cooperation with police of a few Eu-
ropean countries and of several United
states possessions. Since that time a
number OF fugitives from foreign iuris-
olctlons nave been located and brought
to justice.
Under the expanded program. the
criminal who fees to foreign lands to
escape arrest will find a police net of
Worldwide ramifications ready to tran
MN at every turn. His picture, descrip-
tlon, criminal record and, most i'm
portant OF all, his fingerprirts, will be
IN the hands of law enforcement off,
GERS OF most OF the leading nations.
Largest Collection in World.
Director Hoover also has arranged
Tor wider cooperation of all law en-
forcement agencies in the United
states IN the international exchange of
criminal records. All agencies con-
triout1ng f1negerprints to the Identifi-
cation Division of ire Bureau of Inves-
tigation. which has the largest collec-
ton OF criminal fingerprints in the
world, have been requested to use
greater pains in ascertaining ma
tionality of persons fingerprinted for
law violations.
F1ngerprints of all aliens or prisoners
suspected of foreign activities are inn
mediately forwarded by the Federal
bureau to the country concerned. For
elgn Identification agencies, in turn.
are forwarding here the records of
criminals thought to have come from
America.
Among foreign authorities who have
agreed to join in the international
lookout" for criminals are the slner-
lntendents of Identification bureaus of
Argentina, Austria, the Bahamas, Bar
oadoS, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cuba,
England, France, Germany, Greece.
Holland. Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway,
PORTUGAL, Rumania, Spain, Switzerland,
sweden and Turkey, as well as officials
in all the Territories and possessions of
the United States.
Foreign Exchange Set Up.
An invitation is being extended by
the Federal bureau to law enforcement
agencies throughout the United States
and Canada to indicate in the future
all records which they desire for for
elgn exchange, and to supply duplicate
records so copies of finger prints NAV
be sent to foreign countries.
1t Is felt by the United States Bu-
reau OF investigation, Director Hoover
explained. that the development of the
international exchange of finger prints
should prove to be further step in the
cause of effective law Enforcement.
should insure regular receipt by the bu-
reau OF criminal records of Americans
arrested In other countries, and should
provide Tor the completion of record of
citizens or natives of other countries
who may be taken into custody in the
United States. wiz
The adoption of the plan will CON-
form to the existing policy of the bu-
reau IN handling finger prints received.
since any law enforcement agency
Wnlcn at any time has referred a finger
pInG record TO the bureau relating to
any person is kept in touch with his
whereabouts at all times in the fI1tnre
through the transmittal to the said
agency OF copies of all letters in answer
10 prints received thereafter concern
ing the individual"
The criminal Identification work NJ
tne bureau has increased vastly since
1874, when the bureau took over 8IO.-
l88 fngerprint cards previously COL
lected by the International Association
OF Chiefs Of Police and the Federal
penltentiary at Leavenworth, Kans.
Growth of Bureau Shown.
When the bureau inaugurated its
fngerprint system there were only 987
contributors of flngerprint cards who
were transmitting approximately 300
records each day. On August l of this
year there were 4,784 Contributors
forwarding about 1000 cards a day,
ABOUT AZ per cent of all criminal
nngerprints received by the bureau are
loentliled as those of persons having
previous criminal records, in contrast
to the IA per cent of identifications
made in 1924
A total of 573,731 fngerprint cards
were received by the bureau during the
past fiscal year, compared with 87,9I8
received in 1924. At the beginning of
this month there were 3,121,118 finger
print cards in the bureaus files-a COL
lection much larger than that of any
other nation.
Called Potent Weapon.
The 4,784 law enforcement officers
and agencies forwarding fngerprints 70
the bureau" Mr.. Hoover said. ''are fol-
lowing this action because they realize
the bureaus cooperation is a potent
weapon in effective law enforcement.
While the ingerprints are not for
warded to the bureau under compulsion
OF any Federal law, it is interesting to
observe that several of the "a States
which maintain State bureaus of iden-
tification require in their own statutes
that f1ngerprintS shall be forwarded to
the bureau. These States thus recog-
nize the work of the Federal Govern
ment in Identification lines as an aid
to proper local law enforcement.
1T Is the bureaus policy to reply to
all fngerprint records within So hours
after receipt, to insure to it's contrib
utors the prompt service so necessary
to handle effectively the cases of indi-
V1duals taken into custody.
Through the medium of a section
devoted to the handling of wanted
notices nearly 230 fugitives are located
each month. These are persons wanted
for offenses ranging from petty larceny
to murder, or are escaped prisoners and
parole or probation violators"