The Bertillon System offered law enforcement a  powerful tool in helping to identify experienced criminals—but how to distribute this information to law enforcement agencies across the country?

Publications like The Detective provided an answer. Tarrant County College has posted issues of The Detective online –and offers free access ( a super fun read- I suggest you set aside some time before you check them out).

Per Tarrant College:  

The Detective: Official Journal of Police Authorities and Sheriffs of the United States (March 1901-November 1912) The Detective was a monthly journal with articles relating to police work, advertisements for police equipment, and notices for wanted criminals sent from police departments from across the United States and Canada. It was published in Chicago by a a group of national law enforcement associations: the International Association of Chiefs of Police.; the National Bureau of Identification (U.S.); the Interstate Sheriffs’ Association.; the Association of Railway Special Agents of the United States and Canada. The Pinkerton’s Detective Agency was a prominent sponsor and contributor. The magazine was founded in 1885 and published until the mid 1930s.

Early issues offer height, weight, hair color and descriptions like “roman nose” to describe experienced criminals but later added Bertillon measurements.

The magazine also offered photos and descriptions of people captured and serving sentences for petty crimes when officers suspected were guilty of much more.  

The magazine also functioned as a widely distributed “Wanted” poster and could even be used to help track down philandering men who had deserted their families.

The Detective also sometimes offered biographies of long-time criminals like Adam Worth, alias “Little Adam”, who enjoyed a nearly 50-year crime spree (netting approximately $3,000,000) with only one short prison sentence [Issue HERE- see page 3] .