A witness drew a terrible sketch to help police identify a suspect; it actually worked
Hung Phuoc Nguyen
Objectively   the sketch is bad . The thick lines look like an inverted triangle with hair   or a strawberry wearing a tiny cap . The two dot eyes are inexplicably paired with horizontal lines and no eyebrows . There is only one ear . And yet   the Lancaster   Pa .  police say they have identified a suspect who they say pretended to be a farmers market worker before fleeing with cash Jan . 30   thanks to a witness who drew a picture from memory . The sketch was " amateurish and cartoonish  " local police said Wednesday in a Facebook post . But the sketch   along with a physical description of the thief   reminded at least one officer of an encounter with  Hung Phuoc Nguyen   44  . Police then showed the witness photos of possible suspects   including  Nguyen  . The witness identified  Nguyen    and police issued a warrant for two counts of theft . Officer William Hickey of the Lancaster police told The Washington Post on Thursday that he did not know whether  Nguyen  was apprehended . The police have insisted that the sketch was a serious effort to find the suspect . " We released all of those details together in our police log in the hope that someone recognizes the suspect  " Lancaster city police said in a Facebook post   according to Lancaster Online . " This was not done in jest ." The outlet described Nguyen as homeless . In an age of omnipresent surveillance video   the police sketch quietly endures . More departments are opting for software that can spit out composite photos   but departments will sometimes share artists with nearby cities that have modest personnel budgets . " Technology and machinery is cold  " Wayne Promisel   a detective with the Loudoun County Sheriff ' s Office in Virginia and a former Fairfax County police detective   told The Washington Post in 2013 . " It is also missing the ability to ask the questions in a certain way in an interview while having a sense of compassion " for victims . Speaking about the witness   Hickey said : " We appreciated their effort and continued cooperation . People like that make our job easier [ and ] more enjoyable ." But there are currently no plans to offer the witness a position as a sketch artist   he said .
Objectively   the sketch is bad . The thick lines look like an inverted triangle with hair   or a strawberry wearing a tiny cap . The two dot eyes are inexplicably paired with horizontal lines and no eyebrows . There is only one ear . And yet   the Lancaster   Pa .  police say they have identified a suspect who they say pretended to be a farmers market worker before fleeing with cash Jan . 30   thanks to a witness who drew a picture from memory . The sketch was " amateurish and cartoonish  " local police said Wednesday in a Facebook post . But the sketch   along with a physical description of the thief   reminded at least one officer of an encounter with  [TGT]   44  . Police then showed the witness photos of possible suspects   including  Nguyen  . The witness identified  Nguyen    and police issued a warrant for two counts of theft . Officer William Hickey of the Lancaster police told The Washington Post on Thursday that he did not know whether  Nguyen  was apprehended . The police have insisted that the sketch was a serious effort to find the suspect . " We released all of those details together in our police log in the hope that someone recognizes the suspect  " Lancaster city police said in a Facebook post   according to Lancaster Online . " This was not done in jest ." The outlet described Nguyen as homeless . In an age of omnipresent surveillance video   the police sketch quietly endures . More departments are opting for software that can spit out composite photos   but departments will sometimes share artists with nearby cities that have modest personnel budgets . " Technology and machinery is cold  " Wayne Promisel   a detective with the Loudoun County Sheriff ' s Office in Virginia and a former Fairfax County police detective   told The Washington Post in 2013 . " It is also missing the ability to ask the questions in a certain way in an interview while having a sense of compassion " for victims . Speaking about the witness   Hickey said : " We appreciated their effort and continued cooperation . People like that make our job easier [ and ] more enjoyable ." But there are currently no plans to offer the witness a position as a sketch artist   he said .