Do Police Sketches Really Look Like Suspects?

[Moonbear]

You know those sketches the police put out of suspects to help catch them? Do they ever look like real people to you, and when they catch the suspect, do they ever really look like them?

I'm sitting here laughing because they just showed on TV a sketch of some serial rapist, and had the FBI sketch artist who drew it holding it up, and would've sworn it looked a whole lot like the guy drew a self-portrait! When I was in grad school, the bio office had a whole bunch of sketches up on the wall (the building was bordering a BAD area of town, so there were a lot of local robberies, etc). I just sat amazed one day that they all looked the same to me.

 

[Kount Krapulon]

Woah!

Putting together sketches of suspects that are actually helpful isn't easy. And I'd know, because that's my job!

But yeah, not very many talented artists go into this field, so that's why a lot of the sketches look way too similar or just aren't very good.

 

[Evo]

I've seen sketches and then the picture of the actual criminal and they didn't look very similar to me.

 

[Kount Krapulon]

sfed

It's a depressing job, too. Drawing pictures of ornery folk all day long really wears on you.

 

[Moonbear]

Hi Kount! Glad you decided to join us!

I sometimes wonder how you can even try to get a reasonable picture of someone. I mean, even if I know what someone looks like, if I have NO artistic ability at all (and I don't), how do I go about explaining to someone else how to draw that person? I'd be saying something like: well, they had brown hair, curly, short, I don't know what you call that style, and they were caucasion, and, I think they had brown eyes. Nose? Yeah, he had a nose. He had lips and eyebrows too. What shape face? I don't know. It was face shaped, I guess. I mean, not all misshapen or anything. Just normal.

It sure would be a lot easier if criminals only attacked when artists were there as witnesses, then they could draw good pictures of who they saw.

 

[JasonRox]

They probably never look alike because they are always describing their worst enemy in hopes that they get busted for it.

 

[cronxeh]

Yea when I look at the cells under the microscope.. they all look the same to me too

 

[tribdog]

I thought that the Unabomber sketch was amazingly close to what he looked like at the tiime

 

[Moonbear]

I thought that the Unabomber sketch was amazingly close to what he looked like at the tiime

Just luck. All reclusive madmen look alike, don't they?

 

[Gokul43201]

Usually, sketch artists show the witness a series of pictures having different facial structures, hair styles, types of facial hair, skin color, shapes of noses, eyes, etc. This makes the depiction a lot more accurate.

Perhaps the Kount can verify this.

Check out how close the Ted Kaczinsky sketch turned out

The sketch artist that day was no good at doing eyes, so he just threw in the dark glasses to cover up !

Actually, it was a lot better than that picture makes it look. I remember an article in a Reader's Digest, that discussed police sketch artists. The Unabomber story was one of the successes of sketch artistry...I think.

 

[Moonbear]

Usually, sketch artists show the witness a series of pictures having different facial structures, hair styles, types of facial hair, skin color, shapes of noses, eyes, etc. This makes the depiction a lot more accurate.

Perhaps the Kount can verify this.

Check out how close the Ted Kaczinsky sketch turned out

The sketch artist that day was no good at doing eyes, so he just threw in the dark glasses to cover up !

Actually, it was a lot better than that picture makes it look. I remember an article in a Reader's Digest, that discussed police sketch artists. The Unabomber story was one of the successes of sketch artistry...I think.

That sketch looks like my step-brother!

 

[Janitor]

It's neat how you can see the artist himself reflected in the sunglass lenses.