TEMPE, AZ — When crimes happen away from security cameras, recreating images from a victim's memory sometimes falls into the hands of an artist. For the Tempe Police Department, that artist is Aaron Williams, who has turned his childhood passion for drawing into a powerful tool for solving crimes.
"It's a use of my art I never could have foreseen," Williams said.
As a boy in Missouri, Williams dreamed of drawing superheroes and becoming a character designer for Disney. Years of art school led to various graphic designer jobs, but he said they weren't very stable. So he made a life-altering pivot to becoming a Tempe Park Ranger.
Then one day, the chief of police approached him with an unexpected opportunity.
"I noticed you have a background in art; would you ever consider being a forensic sketch artist? I said, 'Whatever you need!'" Williams said.
Williams has been Tempe's composite sketch artist since January 2013. To create a suspect sketch, he meets with crime victims for sessions that can take three to four hours.
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Before pencil meets paper, Williams listens to the victim's description of the incident. Then he has them describe the suspect using the closest mugshot found in the FBI's facial identification catalog. This process helps jog memory and prevent bias.
Over his career, Williams has drawn more than 100 suspect sketches. He said the last one he completed was in August 2022.
"I would attribute that to, we have great video surveillance everywhere... and it's much more common for people to wear masks," Williams said.
Many of the suspects he draws are wanted for crimes in isolated places where there are no cameras, like in personal vehicles or homes. One sketch he created helped identify a suspect described by police as a "peeping Tom" who reportedly forced his way into a victim's home. The sketch led to an arrest for sex crimes.
Williams knows his art is helping crack cases when he shows the finished sketch to victims.
"They just have an emotional breakdown...it's like them looking at the suspect," Williams said.
From drawing superheroes as a boy to becoming a hero for crime victims, Williams has found purpose in his unexpected career path.
"I don't want to see them cry, but it's the biggest compliment they can pay me," Williams said.
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