Since people who led a similar lifestyle to Sternickel were already viewed as a considerable security risk by authorities, a comprehensive reporting and identification requirements for police surveillance system was gradually introduced.Peter Becker, On the trail of the perpetrator - A history of criminalistics, Primus-Verlag, Darmstadt 2005, , pp. 70–74. (in German) Despite some logistical problems, they were eventually more refined and comprehensive with time. Despite lacking proper papers for identification, Sternickel benefitted from the fact that during the harvest season, workers were needed and employers often didn't ask questions.
