Robert Heindl (24 July 1883 – 25 September 1958) was a German criminologist and lawyer, most noted for his advocacy of

fingerprinting A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

. This began after he read an article in 1902 on Edward Henry's use of the method in India - he requested the relevant files from the British imperial authorities in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, studied them extensively and then proposed to all the main police authorities in Germany that they adopt the technique. He was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and died in Irschenhausen. In 1953 he was awarded the Cross of Merit of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

References

Lawyers from Munich 1883 births 1958 deaths German criminologists 20th-century German lawyers Fingerprints Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{criminologist-stub