[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CRIMINAL SKETCH ARTIST--LOIS GIBSON

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, Lois Gibson has made the Guinness Book of 
World Records as ``The World's Most Successful Forensic Artist.'' Her 
sketches of perpetrators have been instrumental in assisting the police 
to catch over 1,062 criminals. She has recently written a book with 
renowned author, Deanie Francis Mills, about her experience being a 
criminal sketch artist and the profession's value to society. This 
Houston resident has made a name for herself in law enforcement all 
across the country and has done so for twenty-five years.
   An alumna of the University of Texas at Austin, Gibson has put her 
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to great use. A naturally artistic person, 
she decided to take the FBI Academy Forensic Artist Course to become a 
qualified criminal sketch artist. When Gibson was younger, she was 
sexually assaulted by a serial rapist and murderer. Perhaps it was this 
experience that most inspired Gibson to enter into the service of 
catching criminals and helping those in need. The memory of her 
traumatic incident definitely stays with Gibson but rather than letting 
it get her down, she uses it to inspire her work every single day.
   Ms. Gibson's status as a past victim, allows her to truly and deeply 
sympathize with those that she works with. After an upsetting 
situation, those affected often have issues rehashing the situation and 
having to again envision the assailant's face, but Ms. Gibson allows 
them to get past this. Gibson can communicate well with these people 
because she understands where they are coming from, being a victim 
herself. Thus, victims are more likely to open up to Gibson and she 
makes it easier for them to focus and give her an accurate depiction of 
their attacker.
   Despite the profession of criminal sketching having many talented 
and trained artists, there is a limited amount of full-time sketch 
artists in the country. It took Ms. Gibson, herself, some time to 
persuade the Houston Police Department of her merit. The HPD had never 
used an artist before and they believed the role Gibson proposed seemed 
superfluous. When the department finally agreed to let her work, Gibson 
was soon identified as a valuable asset to the law enforcement team and 
some police officers began to wonder how they had ever operated 
efficiently without her.
   About thirty percent of Gibson's sketches catch their intended 
offenders when finger prints are around ten percent effective. It is 
findings like these that make the question of, why more police 
departments do not embrace the importance of having a full-time sketch 
artist, more profound. Still, Gibson's work has not gone unnoticed, as 
she has won numerous awards for stopping ruthless criminals and 
bringing justice to the blameless victims.
   I commend this remarkable American on her twenty-five year devotion 
to public service, and thank her for doing work that has made our 
country a safer place to live in.
   And that's just the way it is.

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