A shootout, a chase and the creation of a sketch - these are fixed components that make up police work in the plot of crime films. But what does everyday life really look like for those who compose images based on witness statements that repeatedly lead to the arrest of wanted criminals?
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the creation of visual search aids is the responsibility of the State Office of Criminal Investigation. "There are currently four of us in the team," says 60-year-old Detective Chief Inspector Ingo von Westphal. He moved from Düsseldorf police headquarters to the LKA back in 1992. After a stopover with the former State Security Investigation Group, he joined the crime scene investigators at the turn of the millennium. He finds it advantageous that NRW - unlike other federal states - has centralized the task. "We're working at full capacity and gaining new experience every day."
When it comes to touring witnesses, each member of the quartet is on the road with a trolley, graphics tablet and computer. They all have a feel for facial proportions and drawing skills, even if the job has changed with digitalization. "This is my dream job," admits Hanna Mecke. "Painting and drawing have been my hobby my whole life." The chief inspector has been with the LKA since 2020. A year ago, she joined the office in Department 54 (Central Criminal Investigation Department, crime scene groups). Now she can also use her creative talent for her work. It's like winning the lottery.
"All it takes is a call from a CID officer and we'll soon be on our way," says the Rhinelander from the Cologne area. In principle, all crimes can be considered, but in individual cases, priority must be given. "Memory is best up to four days after the crime," Ingo von Westphal interjects. The whole process is completely uncomplicated. An application does not have to be submitted. The distance within the country is also irrelevant, regardless of whether you have to travel to Minden, Aachen or Sauerland.
The LKA team usually heads for a police headquarters or a district police authority. Ingo von Westphal reports that it is easier to create a concentrated atmosphere there than with witnesses at home. But there is no strict rule. "Hospital visits are also the order of the day. After all, witnesses are often also the victims of a crime. Immediately after being traumatized, images can often still be recalled. Many only fall into a deep hole later. Then the memories are often buried forever."
The senior member of the squad briefly looks back in history and says that the creation of composite sketches began with the often somewhat naive wanted posters in the Wild West. In Germany, the sketches had long been produced by freelance draughtsmen for the investigating authorities.
In the 1960s and 1970s, however, police officers were already at work. They carried around a suitcase with stencils and type albums. Witnesses were presented with hairlines, eye areas, ears, noses or head shapes, from which a face was gradually put together. Finally, the officers might add a birthmark or scar to the portrait by hand. That was the icing on the cake.
"Today we have computers and Photoshop programs," says Hanna Mecke. But black and white images are still used. "The colors are difficult to define and also easily distract from the essentials." When searching the public, it is important that viewers know straight away that it is only a sketch. It supports the investigators in their search for the unknown suspect. "But it is not evidence." According to the 42-year-old, empathy helps to get the best out of the witnesses so that the depiction is realistic.
"People usually only store certain details in their observations, which are often overemphasized in their memories," explains Ingo von Westphal. "The nose becomes even more crooked or the face even rounder." Recognizers with a phenomenal photographic memory are unfortunately a rarity. Several witnesses have very different perceptions. Compromises cannot always be found between them. The LKA's sketch artists only learn of successes when they are informed by the investigating officers responsible. For example, the sketch of a man was created, the security guard finally recognized the person, and a DNA comparison led to identification.
Images stimulate memory. For this reason, a pool of 6,000 faces was created in NRW, which were altered in such a way that it is impossible to match them to real people. The LKA quartet of Department 54 checks all images for usability beforehand. Different phenotypes can thus be retrieved if someone believes they have a middle, southern, northern or In special exceptional cases, the visual search aid supports authorities in the creation of dummy images for an elective photo template. The aging procedure attempts to trace the aging process of people who have been missing for a long time. "That's pretty speculative," admit Hanna Mecke and Ingo von Westphal. "But it's also worth a try."
