Who was primarily responsible for the introduction of systematic fingerprinting in the United States for criminal records?

The introduction of systematic fingerprinting in the United States for criminal records is largely credited to Captain James H. Parke. He played a pivotal role in the early adoption of fingerprinting techniques for law enforcement purposes. In the early 20th century, Parke began advocating and implementing fingerprinting as a method to track and identify criminals effectively. This initiative was crucial in advancing the use of fingerprints as a reliable means of personal identification in criminal justice.

Parke's efforts were instrumental during a time when the criminal justice system was looking for more reliable methods of identifying offenders, moving away from less reliable means like physical descriptions and photographs. His work helped establish fingerprinting as a standard practice in police departments, which laid the foundation for the criminal identification processes that are widely used today.