Police Sketch Artists - Drawing on Witness Recall

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There on the TV screen, I saw the rendering of my attacker. The life-like drawing stunned me. With eyes fixed on the picture, my heart staggered drunkenly around my rib cage and panic twisted my lungs. Stalker leered down at me, a big man of mixed racial background with almond-shaped eyes and a flat nose over a wide full mouth. Two scars disfigured the left side of his face -- one ran from his nose to the corner of his lip, and another ran from his eye to his chin. On the right side, he adorned himself with a tribal tattoo that showed black against his light brown skin.

 - WEAKEST LYNX

Your heroine survived the attack. She's sitting in the police station, drinking the swamp water they call coffee from a Styrofoam cup. A police artist takes your heroine down a long, echoing hallway to a quiet office. What will your heroine encounter?

The Police Artist's job is to make a rendering called a COMPOSITE SKETCH to be used to apprehend and possibly help convict the criminal.

  

* Ideally, the artist has a combined background in police work/criminology, art, and psychology.

* The room will probably have a comfortable chair for the witness. It will be void of face images - no art, or
   wanted posters or any other image that might subconsciously impede a good witness report.
* The artist will sit off to the side so the artist's own face doesn't get confused with the memory.
* The artist usually starts with open ended questions while making the initial rendering, "Tell me about the
    shape of his jaw line?" Then the artist shows the sketch to the witness. At that point, specific questions are
    asked. "Are his eyes the right distance apart?"
* At the end of the interview the artist signs and dates their work – in case the composite sketch ends up in
   court as evidence.
* The process will last 1-2 hours

VIDEO QUICK STUDY (7:24) - An artist at work and his interview techniques

One of the first questions that the artist will ask is about race. The reason for this is not to determine the skin color but the underlying bone structures (skull shape and facial geometry). There are three main bone structure families
*Caucasoid
* Negroid
* Mongoloid
(There is also Aboriginal, which does not anthropologically fit into these three categories)

Next they will be asked about the age. The differences in bone structure shifts are most apparent in children, however, in adults the shift comes mainly in skin texture, tone, and thickness.
VIDEO QUICK STUDY (1:28) showing an age progression rendering and discussion of what factors are considered.

And then they will ask about body build.

An author will have to decide whether the witness is a good witness or not. 

The artists need to have good interviewing skills including an understanding of memory and how trauma effects it (more about this in next week’s blog). The goal is a quality representation of the suspect with an emphasis on forensics.  LINK to blog article about witnessing in F.A.T. Simulation 
* Does your witness have good eye sight?
* Are they dexterous at visual processing? Do they have a "memory for faces?"
* Is your witness someone who is detail oriented and paying attention?
* Memories can be distorted by stress
* Cross-racial features can be confusing
* Consider the lighting conditions
* Consider how fleeting the view
* Consider the angle of view

As the author, you will need to decide what techniques your artist will use

1) Interview with Hand Rendering

    From my art classes I learned that:

   * faces are generally not symmetrical

   * the face is generally 5x the width of an eye

   *The width between the eyes is generally the width of one eye

   *The eyes are about half-way down the face

   * the ears and nose are roughly the same height

    It is the artist's job to find where the suspect's facial geometry shifts from the Greek/Classical ideal.

   

    VIDEO QUICK STUDY  (1:10) an artist using a ruler to portion properly while rendering a time lapse

    drawing of a suspect. 

2) Catalog  

Scientists using scanners have found that we spend less time looking at the lower face. Our focus stays on the upper face. And surprisingly, (to me, anyway) less focus on the eyes than the rest of the upper face. The forehead, the hairline, and hair have priority in our memories. So if your character wants to disguise themselves, they should pay more attention to wearing hats and wigs. 

People recognize things more easily than they can recall them. For this reason, science indicates that the benefit of offering photos outweighs the bias that they could produce. So artists have binders that divide the different zones of the face into options from which the witness can choose. FBI facial ID catalog. Also photo albums of tattoos, scars, hats, clothing, and glasses are helpful for witnesses to use in  identification.

VIDEO QUICK STUDY 1 (2:16) Police artist discussing his use of the catalog

VIDEO QUICK STUDY 2 (2:13) Police artist discusses her use of catalog and her interview technique

3) Computer generated

    The pros include:

    * Faster and allow the artists to swap out one feature for another with ease.

    * Less expensive to produce images this way.

    * Easier to e-mail and easier to store

    Examples of this software include:
    * Identi-kit Link to their website
    * Faces Link to their website

    VIDEO QUICK STUDY (4:49) Using FACES computer composite rendering

One of America's foremost police artists is Karen Taylor  Link to information about Karen Taylor

VIDEO QUICK STUDY (2:48) Karen Taylor helping to solve the identity of "Brush Girl." 

·     LINK to AMAZON: FORENSIC ART AND ILLUSTRATION BY KAREN TAYLOR 

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Choosing a Handgun for Your Character

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 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. 
I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

Decision One - Why is your heroine carrying a gun?

Target Shooting - chose a gun that
    is comfortable to shoot and the
    ammo is inexpensive.
    (.22 is cheapest)
Conceal Carry - strong enough
     bullet to do the job (higher
     caliber), light enough and small
     enough to conceal on the body.

Home Protection, Back Woods, Zombie Apocalypse - 
     for all 3, she might want a 
     higher caliber
     (bigger bullet - .357, .44) to
     protect against large animals
     such as bear or werewolf.

This is a picture from one of my target practices with a Springfield 9mm XD-S/20 feet/32 bullets.

DECISION TWO: There are two kinds of handguns - the revolver and the semi automatic

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Revolver - 

The revolver gets its name from the barrel that must revolve forward to bring the next bullet into play.

The industry standard is a six-bullet cylinder.

If the villain is using a revolver then your heroine can count bullets and has a window of opportunity when he has to reload.

Now choose:
Single action - your character will have to cock the gun before she can pull the trigger. This slows down her firing ability.
Double Action - every time your character squeezes the trigger it will pull the hammer back and fire

PROS

* Extremely simple
* Point and shoot
* They fire every time - if they fail to fire in an emergency situation
   simply continue to pull the trigger and the cylinder will continue
   to rotate and prepare the next round
* Easier to clean and maintain than a semi-
* Can be left loaded without issue

CONS

* Smaller capacity than a semi
* No recoil spring to help you with recoil action - the shooter's hand
   takes the recoil. This HURTS so, in my opinion, not a great gun
   for target practice but okay for emergencies.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Semi-automatic - 

A semi-automatic fires the bullet in the chamber, extracts it, ejects it, and loads a new round

PROS 

* More control than a revolver
* More comfortable to shoot because of the recoil spring
* Higher capacity (holds more rounds)
* Quicker to reload

CONS

* Not as simple as a revolver: there are more parts such as the
   magazine release and the slide release.
* Not necessarily as reliable because they can jam occasionally. 
   The character would have to clear the jam before she could
   continue shooting.
* Must take apart to clean and maintain
* If you leave your gun loaded for a long time the magazine springs
   can become compressed so one should not leave it loaded (or just
   replace the magazines every once in a while). But this might 
   be a reason for a complication in your plot.

Semi- automatic video quick study (6:15)

DECISION THREE - What is the gun made from?

This mostly has to do with weight - how carry-able is it? How accurate is it? How much can your heroine handle?

Three Most Common Materials

Steel and Polymer (around 26  oz.)
Steel and Aluminum Framed (around 32 oz)
Full Steel ( around 40 oz.)

DECISION FOUR - Safety or no safety?

With a safety on, even if there is a bullet in the chamber, squeezing the trigger will not produce a shot. This might pose a problem for your character if her adrenaline is flowing, her brain isn't functioning, and she can't figure out why the bad guy is still attacking her.

Without a safety - her shot is quicker. However, accidents can happen. Would this advance your plot?

DECISION FIVE - Is this a good fit for your character?

* How big are her hands? (check grip size on gun)

* How strong is she? (check weight)

* Can she take the recoil? (a revolver might put her on her butt and
   that might be where you want her)

* What capacity (how many bullets does she need to do the job? 
   Or fail at the job?)

* Reloading (How fast? How many times? How successful?)

* What caliber of bullet does she use? Bullet tutorial

I would suggest that after doing some research and making some initial decisions, that you go by the gun store and hold the gun that you think your character would use. I have very small hands and some guns are just too large for me to grip properly. Glocks for example have HUGE grips and are not great for small hands reaching the trigger. Blog entry of me shooting a Glock at a F.A.T.S. demo CLICK HERE

I shoot a Springfield 9mm XD-S for comfort, and accuracy in range shooting and home protection. It fits my small hand, is a good weight and size, and I can use extended clips to increase my capacity. The trigger pull is about 6 lbs. which is easy enough for my strength level. 26 oz. Though pretty difficult for me to field strip (open it up to fix a problem). Small enough for concealed carry. 
Excellent overview of the XD (8:36)

While I write my blogs from the perspective of the heroine, my friend at Confidential Resource thinks you should note:

Hand size is not a gender issue. Handguns are all about the shooter's hand size. Hand strength is also an issue as most people don't work with their hands today. However, hand size is the most critical issue.

The reason it is so important is that the pistol barrel must align with the forearm to enable accurate controlled fire. To line-up with the forearm the tips of the second and third fingers must press on the side of the grip opposite the palm. Without this, you will not be able to acquire or maintain a proper firing grip. For people with small hands, this means a narrow front-strap that is well rounded--think 1911, P220, or perhaps the SR9 pistols. Of course, the reach to the trigger face is also an important consideration.

For concealed I like:
Sig Saur P238 Copperhead (video 1:38) It is easy to conceal (.380ACP caliber). It hurts to shoot. Watch your character's grip - the gun is so tiny she might get her hand over the barrel/slide.

I also like the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P3AT Ruger and Kel-tec (video 8:38) The Ruger LCP is what Kelli carries Women Carrying Concealed blog entry

A COUPLE OF HOUSECLEANING ITEMS:

Did you know?

When you have a magazine in your semi it is not considered loaded. A loaded gun means that you have a round in the chamber. Careful when you're writing. If you write that the gun is loaded and then the character racks the slide, then you have made a mistake.

Should the gun be loaded? Talking to experts, the prevailing wisdom says:
Semi- 
   * If the semi has a safety, yes. 
   * If the semi has no external (thumb) safety then no (remember
      this just means not having a bullet in the chamber) 
Revolver - yes.
Conceal carry? yes.

Confidential Resource: Sources & Methods for the Investigator  (http://www.confidentialresource.com/ @locuscommunis on twitter) explains that:

Experienced shooters always refer to the 'condition' to describe the pistol's state or readiness to fire. A proficient gun handler will usually keep the pistol in Condition One or Four. Institutions that know their people are incompetent will often dictate Condition Three to avoid negligent discharges in administrative handling.

• Condition Four: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down.

• Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down (Israeli carry).

• Condition Two: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down (extremely dangerous, especially with SA pistol).

• Condition One: With Single Action: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on. With striker fired pistol: a round chambered, full magazine in place, striker at ready position. With Traditional Double Action (TDA), DAO, or LEM: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer at ready.

• Condition Zero: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.

Best video series I have ever seen on guns is:
MAGPUL DYNAMICS THE ART OF THE DYNAMIC HANDGUN YOUTUBE overview available on Amazon.

And before I leave today can I just add this one little bit of information...? A pet peeve is someone who writes a silent shot with a silencer. Shooting with a silencer removes the sound and light to a distance that makes it easier to shoot without flinch (my target paper is always so pretty when I shoot with a silencer) but it IS NOT SILENT! 

LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports

See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

K Nycole Lee - Sword Geek - and Her Chronicles of Koa

Nycole - Good evening!

Fiona - Hola! How are you tonight?

Nycole - Very well, thanks!

Fiona - Pull up a chair; I have a fresh pot of coffee - help yourself - So! Let's talk books.  You have a futuristic

           vampire book, with human pets. Can you give my blog readers a quick overview of your story?

Nycole - The Chronicles of Koa takes place in two worlds. The mortal world (our world) and the Netherworld 

          (the land of supernatural creatures.) Koa is a half-blood. She is half-human and half-vampire. Such a

          creature has never existed, and this makes her a target for a Netherworld serial killer and the King of the

          Netherworld Vampires. Such danger poses a threat to all that Koa knows and loves. Koa's mother is

          cursed, she fears for the safety of her human pet, Ian, and she can sense that her best friend, Halston,

          knows more than he reveals to her. Whoa! Was that brief? Haha!

Fiona - This is a woman? And her name is Koa?

Nycole - Yes! Her name is Koa.

Fiona - And is she working for the government - she's trying to

           keep order?

Nycole - She works for the Netherworld Division along with her

          best friend, Halston...who happens to also be her boss.

          The agents of this division patrol all supernatural activity

          and strive to provide a peaceful coexistence between 

          humans and vampires.

Fiona - Did you base this Netherworld Division on some

           peacekeeping/policing done in our "real world" or did you

           create it all for Koa's story?

Nycole - I would compare it to similar organizations that we have

            such as the CIA, but the Netherworld Division has total

            power over their practices. If a vampire chooses not to

            register and live a life free of killing and violence, they

            will be terminated. You cannot hide from the 

            Division. There is a system for such things. There are

            humans that are willing to sell their services and become

            "pets." Think of them as mistresses to the vampires.

            

Fiona - How do the vampires eat? And, Ian is her boy toy? LOL!

Nycole - They drink from their "pets." Or from farmed blood. Yes.

            He is. But Koa has her sights on someone else.

Fiona - The vixen! Good for her! LOL                                                   

Nycole - LOL!

Fiona - So when you were conceiving of Netherworld Division - did you do research into how the 

           CIA functions?

Nycole - The only research came from movies and television. Most of their tactics are a

           collection of ideas I had from dreams. Most of my real research was focused on Roman

           and British military strategies. But that deals more with the Netherworld portion of the 

           book.

Fiona - I'd love to hear about that. Here at ThrillWriting, we like to see writers write it right.

           And so it's fun to understand how authors of paranormal and sci-fi create their worlds 

           and yet keep them recognizable and accessible.

Nycole - Oh yes. I have a slew of Roman history books detailing the origins of their empire as

           well as their advanced military tactics. In the Netherworld, things are more scientifically

           advanced and yet they do not have the natural resources we have such as flora and 

           fauna. With that said, you'd think you were in Ancient Rome due to their architecture and

           style of dress. Most of the research went into such aspects. Another major area I    

           studied was Hebrew and Greek mythology. You'll see where that ties in when you learn 

           Halston's secret.

Fiona - And the sword? can you tell me about its significance to the story?

Nycole - Yes! I'd like to call myself somewhat of a geek when it comes to swords. Koa's is a 

           sword forged in the black fire of the Netherworld by the fallen angels. Instilled within its 

           blade is the skill and power of every person that it was passed down to. Her father gave 

           it to her, which raises questions of how he got such a weapon that doesn't even belong

           in the mortal world.

Fiona - A sword geek! I've never met one. How does one become a sword geek? Are you

           trained in martial arts?

Nycole - I am not trained. I wish! I just have a fascination with swords from different cultures. I 

           think a sword is a beautiful weapon, and in my story, not even a gun is more powerful

           than the Lyrinian blade!

Fiona - From my experience, a sword doesn't move through the air and make slices the way one 

           might think. A sword in the hands of a master looks light and effortless. In reality, it's 

           heavy and cumbersome - and really difficult to fight with. Did you get to play around with 

           various swords before you wrote about how the Lyrinian Blade was used? And can I just

           say the name you gave it sounds like "lyrical" - as in music and dance - so it sounds 

           graceful from the beginning.

Nycole - Yes ma'am! Exactly. When Koa uses the Lyrinian blade she is instilled with power and

           left in a trance that resembles a dance. I have handled many swords and I understand

           how the grooves become engrained in your palm and how heavy it can be. Koa has 

           mastered her skill. And she has the strength of her father...a vampire.

Fiona - Got it. Very cool. Nycole, thank you  so much for stopping by for a chat today! 

Nycole - Excellent! Thanks again! This was fun!

Biography

K.N. Lee is an American author who resides in North Carolina. She enjoys writing fantasy and horror novels and short stories. She also writes poetry and does a great deal of promoting other authors on her websites. When she is not cooking traditional Asian meals for her friends, she travels the world and practices foreign languages.

Her works include, The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld, the dark poetry collection, Wicked Webs, and the collection of short stories, Thicker Than Blood. She lives with her two dogs, Raven and Rocco. AMAZON LINK TO THE CHRONICLES OF KOA

NOTE - If you are an author who has developed an expertise in a thriller/crime related subject, and you would like to guest blog or be interviewed please contact me in the comments section below.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to help.
Comments are appreciated. And why not take a second to  +1 this page and send it to your friends on Facebook and Twitter? Buttons conveniently found at the bottom.  Thanks!

Related articles

• Interview with K.N. Lee, author of The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld
• Interview with K.N. Lee, author of The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld
• Author Interview: K.N. Lee

TROUBLE! Body Language 101 for Writers Writing Aggression

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. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is your character a police officer? Or maybe your character is the criminal? Here are some of the key "tells" that trouble is brewing.

Remember in your writing that a mind and therefore a body does not go from 0-60 in 1.3 seconds. Unless the person is a victim of a sudden attack, the body will follow the mind's processing and ramp up in aggressive signaling.

KEY BODY LANGUAGE INDICATORS:

In a traffic stop:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. The suspect keeps looking in the rearview mirror
2. The suspect moves their hands a lot. They should
    be still. This is a cautionary sign to which officers
    should pay close attention.
3. The suspect exits their vehicle - this can be
    interpreted in 2 ways
    a. This is part of a lier's body language
        LINK TO LYING 101 and the suspect is
        trying to distance themselves from some
       evidence.
    b. This is an act of aggression.
4. Either in or out of the vehicle: If the officer makes a
    request and there is a hesitation or non-compliance,
    the suspect has a plan in his mind.
5. Watch the hands. Does the suspect close off by
    pulling clothes tighter to the body or put their hands in pockets?
    a. This is a lier's body language that they are concealing something, either the truth or an actual object
    b. This is an act of nervousness
    c. The suspect is reaching for a weapon

Compliance is a key indicator.

Is the subject dancing around? Showing that s/he won't be following requests? Are they oppositional? Then look for these further signs that aggression will follow:

1 Defensive Barrier - arms folded across the chest

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 Avoiding eye contact and/or averting the face
3 Rocking motions
4 Clenching fists and/or teeth

5 Target Glance - such as at your weapon or the
   point where they mean to make contact
6 Facial wipe

Further Signs of aggression
1 Squinting
2 Lowering and spreading (opening the chest and
   arms) the body for stability. This happens from a
   standing or sitting position.
3 Redness in the face
4 Exaggerated gestures including shaking fingers,
   fists
5 Forward head butts is a sign of imminent physical aggression


Clapping the hands is one of the last indicators used prior to a fight. A clap of the hands is the MAJOR tell. Violence happens immediately afterwards.

Body Language tells and concealed carry of ANY weapon

1 Belt adjustment - especially if getting up.
2 Blading - if the suspect is carrying concealed and they know an officer is on one side they will shift their
  bodies slightly away from the officer hiding any bulges from the officer.
3 Billowing - where the suspect takes their clothing and pulls it away and loosens it to hide the weapon.
4 Thumb - prior to reaching for a concealed weapon the brain will process through the action. Getting the
   thumb to clear the weapon is key. The brain practices the event prior to execution, so the thumb will often
   twitch just prior to pulling the weapon.
5 "C" hands in to the front sides of the body at the edge of the shirt hem happens prior to pulling a weapon.
6 Holding on to the bottom of the shirt with one hand in preparation for pulling it out of the way to grab a
   weapon.

VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video 1 (4:24) Concealed Carry Body Language
Video 2 (1:26) Avoiding Violence
Video 3 (2:10) Pre-attack Indicators - real crime with tutorial

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Related articles

• Body Language Intoduction
• Truth In Body Language