03/18/81
Rev 01/20/95
City of San José
POLICE ARTIST (2244)
CLASS PURPOSE
Under general supervision performs work of moderate difficulty creating art
work for law enforcement use. Performs other related work.
TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESULTS (Any one position may not include all the
duties listed, nor do the examples cover all the duties which may be performed.)
- Interviews witnesses and victims in order to create freehand drawings or
sculptures of criminal suspects.
- Interviews witnesses in order to give written or verbal descriptions of
individuals.
- Interviews witnesses to draw likenesses of missing persons.
- Draws or sculpts likenesses from decomposed or partially decomposed remains.
- Alters or modifies photographs for criminal identification.
- Alters or modifies likenesses from decomposed or partially decomposed remains
using freehand or computer-graphics assisted techniques.
- Consults with criminal justice specialists, hypnotists, psychics, and medical
doctors to render likenesses of suspects and victims.
- Provides expert testimony on identification during criminal trials.
- Prepares graphic design material for departmental training sessions and
special departmental operations such as public safety programs and recruitment
efforts.
- Prepares sketches, graphs, charts, posters, diagrams, final drawings,
exhibits and photographs either from direct consultation with staff members or
from rough sketches.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is a single position journey level class in the Police Department
principally involved with specialized art work of Forensic identification of
individuals. Work is typically performed independently.
This class differs from the class of Graphic Artist in that the incumbent of
this class specializes in freehand portrait renditions for law enforcement
identification purposes.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of drawing techniques of human anatomy.
- Knowledge of procedures, equipment and supplies necessary for preparation of
illustrative materials for graphs, reports, charts, cartoons, portraits and
other visual presentations.
- Knowledge in computers and computer-assisted graphic techniques; specifically
photo modification and the photo presentation of the aging process of the human
face.
- Knowledge of commercial and other printing processes including format,
layout, paper stock, type faces and multi-color reproduction.
- Ability to render the human form, especially facial features, based on verbal
descriptions.
- Ability to conduct interviews without influencing the subject.
- Ability to develop and organize ideas of design and presentation.
- Ability to draw and sculpt human likenesses from verbal descriptions.
- Ability to describe, either in writing or verbally, individual human
identification characteristics.
- Ability to illustrate, cartoon, do portraits, and design layouts.
- Ability to understand and operate various computers and computer programs
relative to the job parameters of police artist.
- Ability to produce camera-ready graphic materials and coordinate their
reproductions.
- Ability to understand and carry out complicated oral and written
instructions.
- Ability to prepare investigative reports related to Police matters.
Competency Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of the techniques used by Criminal Justice Personnel, hypnotists,
psychics and scientists as they pertain to law enforcement identification.
- Knowledge of the psychology of traumatized victims.
- Ability to be compassionate with victims and witnesses.
- Ability to establish a responsive interview environment.
Training and Experience
Any combination of training and experience equivalent to successful
completion of two (2) years of undergraduate course work from an accredited
college or university in art, commercial art, or closely related field, and two
(2) years experience as a police artist or related duties.
(P-003-Spc)