My Life in Crime By Michael W. Streed, The SketchCop award-winning, internationally recognized Forensic Facial Imaging Expert
My Life in Crime
By Michael W. Streed, The SketchCop award-winning, internationally recognized Forensic Facial Imaging Expert
Image: Recent sketch by Michael W. Streed of LAPD homicide suspect.
“I create the faces of those who do harm to others and some who make history” ~ Michael W. Streed, The SketchCop
For the last 42 years I’ve enjoyed the privilege of helping law enforcement agencies here and abroad identify their worst criminals. As one of Southern California’s most sought-after police sketch artists, I’m often called upon to help them create the faces of crime, especially those considered as “high-profile”.
It was my work in these high-profile cases that fueled intense media interest.
Despite the attention, I remain the face most people don’t recognize behind the countless faces I’m responsible for creating. And though you might not recognize me if I approached you on the street. you’ve probably seen my trademark signature scrawled across the neck of the countless criminals I’ve sketched over the years, especially those here in Southern California where I’ve spent much of my life.
Growing up in Orange County near Disneyland, I was focused on a career as a Disney animator. But when it came time to settle on a career I chose the family business – law enforcement. It seemed like the natural thing to do considering my father was a career cop and we always had police officers hanging around the house. Through them I quickly learned that law enforcement was more than a career – it was a way of life, a calling of sorts.
Michael W. Streed preparing a skull for restoration.
So, I pushed my pencils aside and began my police career in earnest. The opportunity to lock up ‘bad guys’ to keep my community safe was the thrill of a lifetime. I enjoyed it so much, I was always on the prowl for new techniques to help me identify and arrest more of them.
One evening while preparing for work I saw a police sketch broadcast on ABC 7 Eyewitness News. That was my ‘ah ha’ moment that linked art and public safety. It became the start of a lifelong journey that helped me become one of the world’s most experienced and versatile police sketch artists.
SketchCop® Solutions logo.
I had many mentors to credit during my journey to become a police sketch artist. Two were the most influential. - LAPD’s famed police sketch artist Fernando G. Ponce and FBI forensic artist Horace Heafner. Both were renowned for their work during headline making cases and they became lifelong friends.
Michael W. Streed at Cape Coast University with Ghana Police officials.
Thanks to them, I too was called upon to assist police during many high-profile cases. Some included the murder of a federal DEA agent, the abduction and murder of two Southland children along with another in Salt Lake City, UT, a Louisiana serial killer and the murder of two female Vietnamese fortune tellers in Westminster, CA.
Through it all these men taught me about the importance of having good communication skills, empathy, and humility. All of which I continue to practice, especially as an entrepreneur.
Along my learning path, I discovered other facial identification disciplines - age progression, facial reconstruction, facial analysis and comparison and other miscellaneous facial identification skills, all of which I learned. Besides creating criminal portraits, I also create images of historical figures and sketches of fictional criminals for TV police procedural programs.
Split screen of facial reconstruction of unknown homicide victim next to her identification photo.
After the end of my 31-year career as a Police Sergeant I made my move from pencils to pixels, co-founding an international facial identification consulting business, putting down my pencil in favor of an electronic stylus to continue serving law enforcement.
Looking back, I’ve enjoyed an amazing career. One that has taken me from Los Angeles, where I serve as their police sketch artist to Baltimore where I gained further experience as their police sketch artist and internationally in Ghana, West Africa where I was invited to lecture forensic science students at the University of Cape Coast.
As amazing as it’s been though, there’s little time for reflection.
Each day at the office is different, my trajectory changing with a simple phone call or email.
Michael W. Streed in his studio at SketchCop® Solutions.
One day it’s a decades old cold case murder. The next I’m helping police with a terrorist bombing half a world away. Or I’m helping grieving parents by creating an age progression portrait of their deceased child. Then there’s the countless ZOOM lectures I’m delivering to audiences in New Zealand, Australia, and India.
Thank you for allowing me to share a small sliver of my life and career. There are many stories left to tell and crimes left to solve. We’ll have to wait until we meet again.
Michael W. Streed age progression photo of missing person Sneeha Philip.
Let’s hope that if we do meet though, it’s over a cup of coffee or tea and not my drawing tablet.
Until then, stay safe, be well. And don’t forget to make time to bask in our famous Southern California sunshine!
Michael W. Streed is a (Ret.) Police Sergeant and award-winning, internationally recognized Forensic Facial Imaging Expert based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.
For 42 years, he’s combined his extensive law enforcement experience and artistic skills to help investigators solve some of their toughest cases.
During his career Michael has helped dozens of law enforcement agencies identify those who have murdered law enforcement, serial killers, serial rapists and violent predators who have robbed, shot or stabbed innocent victims.
Though many of his cases are never highlighted in the media, he approaches each case like author Michael Connelly’s fictional LAPD Detective Harry Bosch who’s credo is…“Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts.”
Coincidentally, Michael’s career as a forensic artist began in 1980 under the tutelage and mentorship of LAPD’s famed Police Composite Artist Fernando G. Ponce. Since then, Michael has continued serving LAPD detectives throughout the city’s twenty-two police stations and several specialty units.
In 2011, Michael reached a career milestone when Baltimore Police selected him to become their first. full-time Forensic Artist. He was tasked with building their Forensic Facial Imaging Unit from the ‘ground up’ at the same time managing one of the country’s busiest forensic art caseloads in one of America’s most violent cities.
In 2015 Michael converted the department’s Forensic Facial Imaging Unit to an online, digital operation. The first major police agency to do so. Today, he remains Baltimore Police Department’s Forensic Artist.
As CEO/President of SketchCop® Solutions, Inc. Michael has invested in state-of-the-art communications platforms and digital tools that connect him with law enforcement agencies throughout the continental United States and beyond. His facial composite software app – SketchCop® is used by law enforcement agencies around the world.
My website: https://www.SketchCop.com
E-mail address: Michael@SketchCop.com
Social Media sites:
https://www.facebook.com/TheSketchCopOfficial
