Behind the sketch: TBI sketch artist gives behind the scenes look into how drawings of suspects are created

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – We share them from time to time – sketches from police.

They’re often detailed images of suspects or victims that police need help identifying. You may have seen it on TV or in movies, as a witness sits with the sketch artist and describes everything they can remember, but how does it work in real life?

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. However, in Glen Glenn’s case, a drawing is worth closure on a police case.

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“If somebody has been victimized or if they were a witness to a crime, who is this individual that we don’t know that we need to find?” Glenn explained.

He is one of three trained artists with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The team partners with police departments across the state in providing another tool for investigators.

“The question one may ask is, ‘Would you be able to describe this person to a sketch artist?’ Now if that was thrown at me, I might just would freeze and say, ‘Oh, that would be a tremendous task; I don’t know if I could do that,'” Glenn explained. “People have been through some traumatic things, so that may not be what they want to do, but if the question was, ‘Would you be able to recognize this person if you ever saw them again?’ [and] If they were to say ‘yes,’ then that’s what I can work with.”

For the past seven years Glenn has been speaking with witnesses who are often at their most vulnerable. He spends, on average, four hours with a person and starts the process with a series of questions.

“What would be the most outstanding feature about this person?”
“Did he have any kind of facial lines, around his eyes?”
“Did he have any sideburns?”

Sitting across from Olivia Williams, Glenn asked questions to get a sense of what the person looks like.

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“The objective is to get a good likeness to it. It won’t be a photographic image side by side, but I hope that it’s very close to it,” he explained.

After a series of questions, Glenn starts sketching. As he works, he will often show Williams his progress to ensure he is on the right track.

When a victim or witness of a crime gets a good look at a suspect, sitting down and describing the person gives them a chance to be part of the process. However, Glenn said it’s more than just remembering hair or eye color.

“Could have seemed like a nice person, drew them in by trust, or it was something that mannerisms were a red flag to me, but all this is hopefully funneling into that face,” he described, thinking back to his process of making someone feel comfortable.

Within two hours, Glenn could create a detailed sketch for News 2; that’s half the time he would usually take for a full session. However, he wanted to show us how he can go from a blank page to a full likeness based on someone’s memory.

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The final product was William’s husband, and although he is not a suspect in a crime, Glenn wanted us to see how the entire process works.

“A God-given talent, a gift that I can use for a purpose, and that’s to help others, help receive their justice,” Glenn said.

Glenn has also worked for other departments, including the FBI. He encourages all agencies to reach out for a sketch to help put a face to a suspect.

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