Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-24
F|NGERPR|NT STUDY
SHOWS SLAYERS
NOv|CES IN CRIME
Bureau of Investigation
Check Shows Burglars Are
More often Old Offenders.
FINDINGS MAY AID
IN WAR ON OUTLAWS
Personal Records of 5000, 900 on
File Here to Be Tabulated
by Special Unit.
BY REX COLLIER.

crime.
Burglars and "stick-up" men, on the
other hand, are hardened criminals to
a much greater degree.
Most automobile thieves are less than
rs years old.
These are among interesting conclu-
sions that may be drawn from results
of a preliminary study of fingerprint
records, conducted by the United States
Bureau of Investigation, under new
plan announced today by j. Edgar
Hoover, director.
Collection Biggest in World.
The analysis is being undertaken in
the belief of Director Hoover that the
findings ultimately may prove of con-
siderable benefit and interest to legis-
lators, criminologists ana soeiologists. -
The study Is apart from the bureaus
collection and tabulation of crime sta
tistics.
The bureaus collection of criminal
Identification records, including nearly
100000 fingerprint cards, is the
largest In the world. 1t is the plan to
analyze these records in a special tab
ulating unit, thereby obtaining data OF
value in combating crime.
The analysis contemplates study of
the types of criminals whose records
are on flle-their ages, sex, race and
previous criminal history.
Want Comprehensive Study.
The first study, embracing finger
print cards of $4,000 persons arrested
during February for all offenses other
than Federal violations, cannot, be-
cause of its limited extent, be made
the basis of final conclusions, it is
pointed out. Undoubtedly this num-
Der will be considerably augmented
each month, so that in the space of a
year or SO there will be available COM
prehensive descriptive information on
criminals
According to report submitted by
division of the Bureau of Investiga-
ton. it was noted in the February
study that perpetrators of crimes
against the person." namely, murderers
and sex criminals, were chiefly persons
with no previous criminal record.
Thieves More Experienced.
Those who committed crimes involv-
ing effort TO obtain property were much
more versed in the ways Of the under
world.
The percentage of persons arrested
Tor murder and who had previous GRIM
inal records, for example, was II per
cent
OF those charged with rape and
other sex offenses, % per cent were
"repeaters" in crime
Persons arrested for assault and who
had previous records of one sort or an
other were % per cent of the total.
In the case Of robbery, however. it
was found that SO per cent had rec
ords on file at the bureau. OF those
charged with burglary 80 per cent were
previous offenders.
indicative, perhaps, of the fair for
"joy-riding' among the younger gen
Grafton was the disclosure that the
number of automobile thieves under
Is years Of age was more than three
times the number between the ages Of
Is and IS years.
Records Not Complete.
The study is confined, of course, to
Identification records received at the
Bureau of Investigation. There are
many arrests for which fingerprints are
not taken and there are few jurisdic-
tons that do not submit prints to the
bureau.
Mr.. Waters explained today that the
personal history data on the f1ngerprint
cards should enable the bureau to OBJ
tain statistics Of considerable value In
the war on crime
I'VE should like to know" he said,
Aat what ages during the period of life
those criminally inclined are most liable
to commit particular types of crime. 1t
would be interesting also to know which
age group on proportionate basis Is
most directly responsible for the greater
bulk Of crime.
Naturally, there have been estimates,
~ Sv4 Sv~ek
qualified conclusions with respect to all
these items, but rarely does one find
accurate data with which to substan-
tate such unqualified guesses.
1T Is the hope of the bureau that
through the medium of scientific in
quiry and careful scrutiny inaccurate
data will be eliminated. Although our
records are not complete, it Is felt the
data which will be available after a rea-
sonably lengthy period will be of tire.
mendous Importance"