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In a combination of art and science, forensic artists and law enforcement
officials from all over the world came together to fine-tune their skills in a
forensic age progression workshop held at USF. We are
just another tool for law enforcement to use to help
catch the bad guys.
Forensic artist Joe Mullins from the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children led the training
and focused on the methods used to create forensic composites by hand and on
a computer. It's all about
the spark.
For the
process of age progression there is not one feature, it's maintaining
all the features because all of those features
make up that individual.
Forensic artists draw on a computer tablet utilizing specific tools within
the photoshop program.
By adding layers a composite image can be reconstructed. In order to identify
and distinguish unique recognizable characteristics and translate them to
the page
artists also need precise skills sketching with a pencil.
I think it's a good trigger. I think a lot of us to remember things visually so
I think it's a great aspect in any case.
Police dispatcher kelly Fregosi traveled here from san francisco
to improve her drawing skills.
The composite images can be helpful to law enforcement in numerous ways and
often times be a crucial piece of solving cold cases.
USF assistant professor Erin Kimmerle helped bring the workshop to USF
in two thousand seven
so anthropology students could build their skills alongside professionals
and apply those methods in their own fieldwork.
There are a number of different ways that the methods that are taught here are used.
The way in which we use them in our lab
are facial approximations so when there is an unidentified person that needs an identity
we want to start with what did they look like
so somebody will recognize them
that's one way to do it. So that's our link here at USF.
In the class drawing exercise students sketched a celebrity and attempted to hold
onto those unique characteristics to see if their peers would pick up on them.
I had Monica Lewinsky
How do you think she turned out? She turned out ok.
I was not sure who she was at first
you know then he triggered and said that's who it was.
The right person still has to see these images, so
having the media available and
technology base getting that picture out there to
as many
eyes as possible. Maybe the right person will see it and make that phone call.
And with a bit more practice
these law enforcement artists will become experts on capturing those features those
details that may be the key to solving crimes.