A free imperial city, Frankfurt possessed extensive political and judicial autonomy, manifested by its criminal legislative and sentencing powers. The city's criminal jurisdiction extended to all local residents, regardless of their civic status or religious affiliation, and also to outsiders. Despite Frankfurt's extensive legislative and jurisdictional power it did not have a uniformed, institutionalized police force, a problem other towns faced as well. By the fifteenth century Frankfurt, like many other European cities and regions, had replaced Germanic criminal practices with inquisitorial methods. Visual symbols even conveyed the internal structure of the patrician families, many of which adopted distinctive color schemes. Female convicts carried the most detailed personal information in the criminal records. The penal structure also points to the importance of visible aids for policing. To the potpourri of local dress, color schemes, and badges one must add the variety in regional dress.