Widely known as Kinky, because of his tight curly hair, Thompson's career illustrated one of the problems - unprofessional enforcement - that led to increasing opposition to National Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933).
[citation needed] Thompson's "favorite tactic was to walk into a joint, grab a pitcher of beer, and pour the contents on the bar, then offer to reimburse the nearest drinker.
If the man denied that the beer was his, [Thompson] would strike him over the head with a shot-filled blackjack, and then wring a confession by painfully twisting the victim's arm."
[citation needed] Bureau of Prohibition officials defended their agents' violence, arguing that they bravely had to consume alcohol as part of their undercover work and that it threatened their health and caused crazed behavior.
However, a local newspaper asked why patrons who consumed the same beverages did not become similarly crazed with an uncontrollable desire to injure others and destroy property.