Evening star., 1932-07-14
CRIMINALS WEEDED
FROM CIVIL SERVICE
BYF|NGERPR|NT|NG
Success Brings Transfer of
Work to Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
ONLY | IN % NOW
SLIPS THROUGH NET
10000 Identification Records
Turned Over to Justice Branch
by Commission.
BY REX COLLIER.

The United States Bureau of In
vestigation has taken complete charge
OF the flngerprinting of applicants fol
civil service employment in furtherance
Of the Governments efforts to keep
criminals out of the Federal service.
Announcement of discontinuance oi
the fingerprint identification section OF
he Civil Service Commission and trans
fer Of its functions and records to the
Identification division of the Bureau
OF Investigation, was made today by
j. Edgar Hoover, director of the bureau
The transfer was made in the interest
OF efficiency and economy.
The fingerprint requirement has re-
duced the ratio of criminal applicants
for jobs from l to 13 when the plan
was instituted in 1929 to to % ap-
plicants during 1881.
Approximately 10000 identification
records have been turned over to the
Justice Bureau by the civil service au-
thoritieS.
The Government contends no stigma
attaches to the finger printing of {
prospective employe and that the trou-
Bile involved has paid big dividends, eS-
pecially in the postal service and Other
departments where positions of trus
are numerous Only criminals can have
grounds for objecting to finger print
ing, it is held.
Records Are Checked.
In the past four years the Civil Serv.
ice Commission has been forwarding al
finger prints to the Bureau of Investi-
cation for a check with the crimina
records on file there. The bureau haC
been returning the prints with report:
on the inquiry. From now on only
the findings in each case will be sem
TO the commission, the prints being re-
tained by the Justice Department.
During the fiscal year which ended
June 80, 1929, it was found that one il
every IS persons who applied for Ciyi
Service examinations had police rec
ords. Prior to that, a special finger
print inquiry conducted among employees
Of large post Office revealed Severa
eX-convlctS on the pay roll.
During the fiscal year ended June
80. 1890, l in every IA applicants 30.
Government employment had crimi-
nal record. During the fiscal year end
tu June OO, 1891, was FLOuIlu lIldI
in every % applicants had a record
and during the past fiscal year approxi-
mately the same ratio prevailed, al
though definite figures are not avail
able.
In a large number of cases, accord
ing to Mr. Hoover. it was determined
that the criminal applicants had falsi-
fed their applications n order to con-
Ceal their past. The offenses detected
covered practically the entire range OF
misdemeanor and major crime, from
disorderly conduct and bigamy tc
counterfeiting, arson, burglary arc
murder.
Reluctance of Applicants.
The falling off in the number OF
applicants with police records is at
tributed by officials to reluctance Of
persons with shady pasts to risk fin
gerprint search.
The criminal f1ngerprintS on file al
the Bureau of Investigation on July
totaled 3,078000. constituting the larg-
est collection of current criminal fin
gerprint records in the world. The
index cards on file totaled Abb 538
Nearly 5000 law enforcement officers
throughout the United States and ir
foreign countries transmit fingerprints
to the bureau. with about 1000 finger
print cards being received daily.
The bureau records. claSSifieS
searches and answers fingerprint in
quiries within 36 hours of receipt
During the past fiscal year 2,435 fugi-
tives from justice were located through
efforts of the Identification division.
The service is rendered free to al
law enforcement officials or agencies
and it has proved remarkably effective
in restricting criminal activities over
the Nation.
In connection with agitation that has
developed from time to time against the
''indignity" of being compelled to sub
nit to f1ngerprinting, Government Of
ficialS cite a recent decision by tht
United States Circuit Court of Appeals
in New York in the case of Mortimer
Kelly, who was fngerprinted by prchi-
bitiOn officers and who asked the court
to return his prints
In overruling the plea, the court said
1T (hngerprinting) can really be OBJ
jected to only because 1t may furnish
strong evidence of mans guilt. 1t is
no more humiliating than other means
of identification that have been uni
versally held to infringe neither the
constitutional nor common law rights
Fingerprinting Is used in numerous
branches of business and of civil serv-
ice and is not of itself a badge OF
crime"