◆ SpookStack

- ij] - ) ae two crimes serve an average of only slightly more than three years and six months each in a penitentiary before they are turned loose to proy upon soci- aty again. It may be a coincidence but all six of our Special Agents killed in line of duty within the last four years have been killed by paroled or par- doned convicts. Whenever I discuss modern scientific crime detection methods, there comes to miad the story of a well-known police chief of the West Coast in my country, concerning an experience he had during the early days of his crimi- nological laboratory. A lady came into his department one day greatly per- turbed. She brought with her a package which she stated contained a bomb some- one had sent her. The chief, after taking the necessary precautions, had the suspect package examined by means of his photographic X-Ray equipment and in- formed the lady that the package contained nothing more harmful than a box of chocclates. She then conceived the.,idea that someone was trying to poison fer. The police chief thereupon stated to her, “Very wcll, Madam, I will have the chocolates analyzed by one of our chemists and report to you tomorrow whether. or not they. contain poison," . This proposal did not altogether satisfy the good lady and after considering the matjer for a few minutes, she said to the police chief, "Why you great big coward, why don't you eat some of them and find out!" Unfortunately, some of our good citizens expect too much of their law enforcement agencies and have equally as erroneous ideas concerning the operation of modern scientific laboratorios, particularly in connection with criminological work, ~The value of Scientific laboratory study of certain types of phys- ical evidence obtained in criminal investigations has been recognized and has teen amply demonstrated by the results accomplished since the establishment of the Technical Laboratory of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Washington in the Fall of 1932, Prior to that time, it had been customary, when consid- ered desirable, for the Bureau to have technical experts outside its organiza- tion make scientific examinations of evidence. It has heen found, since the establishment of the Bureau's Laboratory, that in addition to the practical value obtained in the individual case, a greater appreciation of the possibil- ities of such examinations leading to the solution of particular crimes has developed in the Special Agents who investigate criminal cases in the field. The personnel in our Technical Laboratory, the most complete in the world, has been most carefully selected and trained in the particular lines of scientific endeavor in which they sre engaged. Practically all sciences and their respective branches find their way sooner or later into the modorn labo- ratory of police scienco. Our Technical or Criminological Laboratpry is used not only to aid in the salution of Federal crimes, over which we have jurisdic- tion, but its services are made available gratis to all local law enforcement organizations throughout the United States, and a good part of our laboratory experts' time is taken up in assisting in the solution of tocal or state crimes and in testifying in these cases. : . ai 3 rad —_ . S —_—_ =