Sgt. William F. Higgins

Sgt. William F. Higgins

On this day in Baltimore Police History, July 8, 1915, we lost our brother, Sgt. William F. Higgins. Sgt. Higgins was an assistant to the superintendent at Baltimore Police Headquarters when he died from a heart attack while working. Born on July 18, 1856; appointed as a patrolman on March 18, 1885. Sgt. Higgins worked in the Baltimore Police Identification Bureau alongside Sgt. John Casey.

In 1904, Sgt. William F. Higgins was a big part of bringing the fingerprint system to Baltimore. While his partner, Sgt. John Casey, went to Chicago to learn the new system, Sgt. Higgins stayed back to maintain the work the two had already done to prefect the Bertillon System and prepare for the inclusion of the new fingerprint identification system. Having made the Bertillon system a smoother process with a better workflow, it was only right that they would split in preparation for the transition of adding fingerprinting to their process.

On November 26, 1904, their efforts paid off when Sgt. Casey, Chief of the local Bureau of Identification, officially printed Mr. John Randles. Mr. Randles was being held on a theft charge and had an extensive criminal record when, on that day, he officially became the first person in the United States to become printed under this new system.

The initial thought was to use both systems side-by-side, but time, cost, and accuracy had us dropping all parts of the Bertillon System but the portrait and profile pictures. Before long, other agencies followed suit, also cutting all but mug shots from their Bertillon system. To this day, fingerprints and mug shots are still the norm for arrests and identifying suspects.

Sgt. William F. Higgins was a big part of Baltimore Police history. We thank him for his service and sacrifice and promise his memory will live on. May he continue to rest in peace.