Michael W. Streed

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone! With the holidays quickly closing in, we’ll keep this month’s newsletter short and sweet. So, in the spirit of the holiday time crunch, let’s do a quick year-end review. SketchCop® Online Academy started about a year ago with zero students and zero ... Read more »

Last month, I travelled to Ghana at the invitation of Dr. Richmond Afoakwah, Department Head of the University of Cape Coast’s Department of Forensic Sciences. The university has built a robust program they continue to improve upon with help from the government and numerous grants. So far, they ... Read more »

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night with a great idea?  Only to forget later because you fell back asleep without jotting it down? Maybe you did write your idea down or sketched it out. But when you sat down to flesh it out, you froze because you don’t know how, or where, to ... Read more »

When I began my career as a forensic artist, the only tools I had was a #2 pencil, a sheet of cheap bond paper and a strong will to succeed. Back then, I knew nothing about cognitive interviewing, facial identification catalogs, victimology or the value of networking. I was a 'street cop' who viewed ... Read more »

The concept of using facial composite assembly systems to create criminal composites is not new.  Over the years, it’s been a hard-sell for companies who dabbled in the technology and tried to market their creations to law enforcement. In my opinion, facial composite assembly systems, whether ... Read more »

After years of endlessly sharpening pencils and breathing eraser dust, I’ve discovered a tool that’s made me a better artist. The funny thing is, it’s not much different than a pencil and in the user’s hand, works magic. Why? Because it’s digital Let me take you back, nearly 40 years ago when I ... Read more »