FBI Training in Forensic Art

Forensic art has come a long way

We've seen it a thousand times on television or in the movies -- a shaken victim describes his assailant as a police artist sketches the face of the bad guy. Forensic art has come a long way since those days. With advances in technology, the ability to generate images has become more comprehensive and gives users the ability to perform astounding tasks.

History

Police sketches have been in existence for a long time: Think of wanted posters in the old west. The FBI Laboratory was founded in 1932 at a time when fingerprinting was still coming into it own. Since its beginning in a single room, the FBI Laboratory has been on the cutting edge of crime-fighting technology. It has been involved in advances such as handwriting and chemical analysis, DNA typing, and cyber crime-fighting techniques. Agents from the Special Projects Unit specialize in forensic art and providing support in those specialties to other law enforcement agencies.

Types

Forensic art encompasses several disciplines. The most common is the art of composite drawing. This allows the artist to produce an image from a description. Modern communication technologies allow the artist to interview witnesses from around the world. Age progression imagery allows the artist to add years to (or in some cases, subtract from) an image. Facial reconstruction from skeletal remains allows the artist to put a face on a victim. Postmortem imagery allows the artist to alter images of deceased victims to make them suitable for public viewing.

Function

By compiling a semblance of a suspect, police are able to educate the general public and gain helpful tips. They are also able to artificially age a person's image in order to help identify suspects of crimes committed in the past, find persons missing for significant lengths of time, and produce current images of people with no recent available photographs. Identifying an anonymous murder victim could assist in catching the killer.

Training

The FBI offers free training to law enforcement officials in the art of forensic facial imaging. To be eligible for this free, three-week course, one must be a member of government crime laboratories, U.S. law enforcement or military personnel. Students must either be designated by their home organizations as responsible for forensic imaging or actively working in the field. The training is also available to international students who are working in law enforcement agencies abroad. The course is offered by the FBI Laboratory's Specialized Training Program.

Benefits

Forensic art now allows law enforcement agencies to offer concrete pictures to the public. By giving solid images and information to the citizenry they provide tools for the positive identification of victims, clues toward the possible appearance of suspects, and potentially put a face on unidentified victims.

References

• Federal Bureau of Investigation.gov: The FBI Laboratory
• Federal Bureau of Investigation.gov:Forensic Facial Imaging