Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This research project examines the cooperative relationship between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and city police departments in the United States. Writing in 1956, the author argues that the FBI provides essential services that local departments could not maintain with similar efficiency or effectiveness. These services have historically helped local law enforcement move away from graft and political corruption toward a higher standard of professional public service. The document details four primary pillars of FBI assistance: identification, laboratories, training, and publications. 

The identification division, established in 1924, serves as a national clearinghouse for fingerprint records, allowing local police to identify recidivist criminals who move between jurisdictions. Similarly, the FBI Laboratory, founded in 1932, offers scientific evidence examination in fields such as serology, firearms identification, and document analysis. These technical resources are provided to local agencies without charge, ensuring that even small departments have access to modern crime detection tools. Training initiatives, most notably the FBI National Academy, focus on professionalizing the police force by educating officers in administrative leadership and advanced investigative techniques. Furthermore, the FBI manages the Uniform Crime Reports, which provides a statistical basis for analyzing crime trends across the country.

The author emphasizes that while the FBI acts as a model and a service agency, it strictly avoids becoming a national police force. Instead, it respects local sovereignty and focuses on mutual cooperation. The conclusion underscores that effective law enforcement depends on a combination of federal scientific support and active public cooperation. Ultimately, the document serves to illustrate how the FBI’s various service divisions have elevated the status of the American policeman through education and technical excellence.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: Professionalizing local city police departments by providing specialized scientific and training services that municipal agencies cannot maintain efficiently on their own. 

  • The Method: Analysis of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) cooperative service divisions, including the Identification Division, the Laboratory, the National Academy, and the Uniform Crime Reporting program. 

  • Quantitative Finding: The FBI Identification Division's collection grew from 810,188 cards in 1924 to over 133,000,000 sets by 1956; the National Fraudulent Check File receives over 1,000 checks monthly, identifying 75% of them. 

  • Qualitative Finding: Effective law enforcement relies on scientific training, careful personnel selection, and inter-agency cooperation rather than nationalized consolidation; public support is the essential foundation for effective local, state, or federal government agencies. 

Publication Date

1-1956

Faculty Sponsor

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