"Why and When to Call the Forensic Artist" by Barbara A. Martin Bailey is an excellent article in Evidence Technology Magazine that successfully reinterates the view of using forensic artists over various software programs available. To quote Ms. Bailey, "A forensic artist can often be called on to carry out a variety of applications for an investigative case that are faster and maybe even cheaper than some of the digital alternatives."  This article is fasinating in that it lays out the capabilities of forensic artists vs. computer software programs in such a way and in such great detail that it is extremely easy to understand.  Please take the time to connect and read the entire article.  She provides drawing and situational examples that are extremely convincing.  If you are currently in law enforcement and the security profession, this will be well worth your time to learn more about forensic art.

http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164

As an artist and professional in the forensic community, I am obviously very concerned about the mis-identification of suspects.  So much so that I recently developed a comprehensive training program (with John Demand of Observation on Demand) for law enforcement and security professionals on improving facial recognition skills. It's called Face Wise and is available in 4 hour and 8 hour segments. 

Coincidently to introducing Face Wise, there was an excellent article on this very subject in today's Washington Post (see article below).  After reading this article, my question of the day is:  How concerned are you in your job about your ability and/or your colleagues-employees ability to identify suspects, missing persons or other individuals, especially considering the passing of time, disguises and changes in weight, style of clothing, etc.  Are you certain that your identification skills are what they should be?  Do you see a need for this type of training in the law enforcement and security community --- and, are there other applications for this training (i.e., retail chains, shops, malls, hospitals, pharmacies, hotels, etc.)?


Eyewitness testimony in an imperfect world

The Washington Post

By Avis E. Buchanan and Shawn Armbrust

Sunday, May 2, 2010

"In a perfect world, it wouldn't happen," said D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles, speaking of the error -- a mistaken identification -- that led to his office charging an innocent 14-year-old with 41 crimes, including four counts of first-degree murder while armed. "I wish it didn't happen." The Public Defender Service and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project echo his sentiments and propose that action be taken -- beyond wishful thinking -- to protect against mistaken identifications, the most common cause of wrongful convictions.

This error was serious. A child was charged with a multitude of serious offenses he did not commit, his name was published in the press, and the details of his difficult childhood and delinquency history were spelled out for the nation to read. The District, which nearly prosecuted this youth, suffered intense criticism for the perceived failure of its efforts to rehabilitate him.

Of equal concern is that this error could have gone undetected. The original news of the arrest stated that a D.C. police sergeant who was involved in the chase positively identified the child as the driver of the minivan involved in the mass shooting. An arrest based on this identification probably struck most people as reasonable, even laudable. After all, the sergeant is a trained, experienced police officer, and he was certain enough of his identification to commit it to a charging document. Most people might even assume this should be reliable enough to support a conviction at a future trial.

In a sense, the child was lucky -- the fortuity of other developments in the case proved that the sergeant was wrong before the child could be tried and wrongfully convicted. But that is not always the case. Eyewitness testimony can provide the most dramatic moment in a trial, and a convincing eyewitness who honestly believes in his identification can persuade a jury to convict even if he is mistaken. Indeed, such eyewitness errors have been a factor in more than 75 percent of the 252 DNA exonerations nationwide, and there undoubtedly are many more people who cannot prove their innocence because they do not have conclusive evidence such as DNA .

These documented errors and considerable scientific research show that we should never have been so accepting of the sergeant's identification in the first place. Eyewitnesses in stressful situations, attempting to identify strangers, are prone to mistakes. A witness's "certainty" of his identification does not predict his accuracy. And studies show that police officers -- even skilled, trained police sergeants -- are no more accurate in their identifications than members of the general public.

These studies also have shown that we can both reduce mistaken identifications in criminal cases and minimize the repercussions when mistaken identifications inevitably occur. Jurors and judges, as well as police, prosecutors and defenders, need to be educated about the research on eyewitness identification to avoid the kind of unquestioning mind-set that often sets in once an apparently credible witness makes a positive identification. Police should also be required to use best practices to collect eyewitness identification evidence. Currently, the District does not do all that is recommended to reduce the risk of a mistaken identification, but a legislative proposal pending before the D.C Council, the Eyewitness Identification Procedures Act of 2009, could rectify that situation and should be immediately passed. Finally, juries should be permitted to hear expert testimony at trial regarding the reliability of eyewitness testimony and to receive updated instructions that reflect current science so they can make a more informed assessment of the identifications in the case.

Erroneous convictions based on false assumptions about the validity of eyewitness testimony result not only in conviction of the innocent, but in a free pass for the truly responsible. If this child had been convicted of murder because the police sergeant said he was the driver of the van, the true culprit would have escaped entirely.

Last week's announcement -- while certainly a relief to the child and his family -- serves as a cautionary tale that this life-changing kind of error can and does happen to innocent people. How can we not take every possible step to minimize the chances of it happening?

Avis E. Buchanan is director of the D.C. Public Defender Service. Shawn Armbrust is executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.

Hello again everyone!  I've been reading lately about courts unsealing the names of victims of certain crimes and trying to decide for myself exactly how I feel about that.  I think in the case below, I side with Juge Woodlock.  When a publically held company or companies wants to conceal certain key facts from shareholders that might possibly affect their shares, then the right of the company's privacy should not be considered paramount over the rights of the shareholders to know exactly what is going on with their company. 

My question of the day is:  How do you feel about unsealing victims names in certain cases?  Should the exception be made for crimes of non-violence or white-collar crimes?  Should victims of sexual assault remain protected under the privacy rule or should they be treated like any other victim of crime, including the one(s) mentioned in this article?

This article appeared on Law.com:
Judge unseals identities of victims of cyber attacks

Sheri Qualters

March 29, 2010

Hello everyone and welcome to the launch of my blog, Cop Art.  My name is Sharon and I am a forensic artist, working as a freelance illustrator and sketch artist for police departments, security companies and detective agencies, families. My posts will contain useful information for those interested in art and illustration, news on law enforcement and forensic issues, examples of my new work and of course, my personal opinions and questions for discussion.

My first question to you is "doing it yourself" becoming a lost art? 

With the advent of so many new technologies in computer programming have we all come to rely too much on our software programs to do what we can do ourselves, and sometimes much better...by ourselves?  Have you ever thought that instead of sending an email to your friends and family, just actually sit down and physically write a note or letter instead of an instant message?  Might it not have more meaning to them to receive such a note or letter?

Instead of becoming a computer graphics artist, why not try it by yourself and become a "real" artist ......sketch, paint, draw and show your real talent.  In my opinion it's so much more rewarding and fulfulling as an artist.  Let your ideas flow through your hands and fingers to a pencil or a paintbrush instead of the keys of your computer!