Forensic Art NJForensic Art Information and Training ResourceSearchMain menuSkip to primary contentSkip to secondary contentHomeAbout MeArticlesAvailable TrainingComposite DrawingOther Facets of the Forensic Art FieldOther Valuable ResourcesA Win/Win For The Hand Drawn CompositePosted on November 25, 2013  by  Mr. Jacksonby Charles T. Jackson
On November 1st, 2013 I officially retired from the ranks of the police department that I had been with for 25 years. In anticipation of this retirement, I developed skills in the field of theatrical set design and construction, and have been very active in my community since 2008 in nearly all aspects of theatre. I design, build and paint sets for our youth theatre, our teen theatre, our Middle School, our High School, as well as out Community Theatre productions. I couldn’t possibly have anticipated how much my being involved in these two fields could have prepared me for a call I would receive the afternoon of November 15, 2013.
I had spent most of the day discussing possible applications of my composite imaging skills within the county I reside with an old friend that has a clue how to navigate the political channels that can sometimes challenge gaining a position from which one could serve most effectively. It had been a good day so far. I had gotten my resume, samples of my work, and most importantly the fact that I didn’t want to stop serving the Detectives in the area just because I had retired, into the hands of someone that I knew cared, and could possibly make some headway. I had just finished texting an update to my wife when the call came in.
The subject on the other end of the line said, hello, he introduced himself, and said that he was from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and he asked if I was the Charles Jackson from the web site Forensic Art NJ that he’d found in a Google search. He went on to ask if I would be interested in participating in a segment that required the use of a “real” composite artist. I said that I would be glad to participate, and after determining that I would be able to be in New York City on the day of the taping, he revealed some of the details of the segment . He said that I would be doing a composite from a description supplied by a staff member, of another staff member, and then I would sit down with Jimmy and compare the outcome of the description, and how it compared with the subject described. He said that he would need me to send a picture of myself sometime over the next couple of days, and that I would likely be hearing from the wardrobe people, and a writer that he had “looped in”. I laughed and asked if the fact that I’m kind of ugly would be a deal breaker, to which he responded by kindly saying, “I’m sure you’ll be fine”. I said that it sounded like it was going to be fun, and said that I would see him Wednesday, November 20th at 12:00.
I immediately texted my wife, our friend/director