Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-11

IT is no disparagemcnt of the splendid work Of the
FBI and of many of its cooperating agencies to say
this
In fact, the FBI is striving to make the ugly facts
publicly known by exposing, in its crime reports, THE
PREVALENCE of crime throughout the nation at large,
we'll in different Of the country and the
relative virulence of VARIOUS FORMS of crime,
But this service if its real potential value is 10 be
attained should be made the foundation for far
intensive efforts than have been undertaken to
REDUCE and ERADICATE the blight of crime
And is entirely feasible to do this.
For purposes of crme-reporting only the federal
returns 2S73 cities and villages with
aggregate of 7079S,69 inhabitants total of con-
siderably more than half the population of the nation
There are 400 lawenforcement agencies
porting their crime statistics semannualy or oftener to
the FBI
These include 2,S73 city or village agencies, 1905
sherifs nine state police units and 10 agencies in terri
tories possessions of the United States
1t should be no insuperabe job to weld these
operating agencies still further into A NATIONWIDE
Acknowledgement MOVEMENT
THE object of the compilations as described by the
i FBI, s-at present-to throw some light the
problems of crime and crimnal-law enforcement"
= Yet it is of no practical use to UNDERSTAND
social problem if rational adequate endeavor is to
be made to DISPOSE OF the problem.
Mainly the Uniform Crime Reports" tend to
firm rather than to correct certain congratulations with
which criminologists have been long familiar.
For example, it has been accepted axiom that
crime is very largely an addiction of youth.
Factua substantation Of this opinion is given by the
FIJI as follows
1.-THE examination of 33 2O4 fngerprnt arrest records
during the first half of 1871 revealed that PERSONS
UNDER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE represented
54.6 PER CENT of those charged with ROBBERY, 62S
PER CENT of those charged with BURGLARY, 1879 PER
Y. (.
PER CENT of those charged with AUTO THEFTS"
Elsewhere, the report says
"A LARGE PROPORTION by the OFFENSES
AGAINST PROPERTY were committed By YOUTHS
LESS THAN TWENTY-ONE YEARS OLD
THE report also emphasizes that CRIME pre-
/ dominates in CITIES AND URBAN AREAS, rather
than in rural regions; and also, that THE KINDS OF
CRIME most prevalent in any determined to
great extent by LOCAL CONDITIONS.
These are all FACTS which serve to SEGREGATE
the criminal element within the whole population and
thereby to SIMPLIFY and ASSIST the grim business of
coping with this element
Especially important is the point made that crime,
In its police well its social aspects is essentially
LOCAL problem.
AT the time, it has been amply demonstrated in
the past that federal support and guidance indispensable
If 10 find any comprehensive solution to our
appalling national crime problem
Federal agencies themselves deal effectively with
some classes OF crime, and have their own necessary
jurisdictions
The FBI alone able to extirpate kidnapping and
rowing bandtry which not confined to communities
state lines.
The agency conducts for the nation
excellent training school in scientific police work which is
too little utilized
D LAINLY however if the federal government to
attempt solely with its forces eliminate local
crime everywhere the federal government would be
debased into Gestapo
Consequently the tremendous and dsgraceful problem
of LOCAL CRIME must be adequately met by LOCAL.
AGENCIES and the problem CAN BE met in this way,
WITH THE INTELLIGENT ADVICE AND LEADER
SHIP OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
Sooner later, states and their subdivisions
will have to get down to the business Of really
curbing crime their environs-uness indeed the