Retired San Jose Police sketch artist explains his process for interviewing victims

Our work on Bay Area Unsolved recently led us to a master in the field of forensics. But retired San Jose Police Officer Gil Zamora doesn't work with a microscope. He draws critical evidence from the memories of witnesses.

He recently demonstrated his methods by sitting down with our Juliette Goodrich and having her describe her own father.

"The way this works is usually people remember a lot better when they are nice and relaxed. So, I want you to sit back and close your eyes. Give me a nice deep breath," he began.

That's also how he starts work with crime victims and eyewitnesses.

"I start with the race, age, body build, and then I talk about the face shape," he continued.

He avoids leading questions, wanting witnesses to only describe what they truly remember.

"I ask them, "Tell me about his attitude. What is that like?" I want to get a sense (of), am I seeing the same thing they are seeing?" he explained.

His philosophy is simple:

"What I want you and your viewers to understand is I'm staying true to the fact I'm only going to rely on what you remember. Period," he said.

Zamora said describing a face from memory is difficult for anyone. It was difficult for Goodrich, who remarked, "Even the fact I know my father, closing my eyes and describing him to you is difficult. I can only imagine what it is for someone who got a glimpse or was in a traumatic situation." 

He developed his mindful approach over years of experience and a lifelong passion for drawing.

"I've always been able to draw. I've been drawing since I was a young kid in school," he recalled. "When I joined the police department, I was always being nudged to be the police artist. But when I was injured at the police department, I started refocusing on, what can I do? It was fascinating to know there was someone who was drawing all day and still being involved in investigations. And I thought, wow!"

Over the years, Zamora has interviewed more than 3,000 eyewitnesses. His sketches have helped police to identify hundreds of suspects and generated leads in some of the Bay Area's most serious crimes.

He retired after 27 years with the San Jose Police Department, but still teaches what he calls the Mindful Interview Method, writing a book to detail how to help witnesses recall memories without the influence of outside information.

"The principles that I focus on, the respecting the eyewitness, limiting suggested questions, and making sure that the questions that I'm asking lead to reliable information," he said.

Still, he said the sketch is only part of the story, explaining the real work happens in the conversation, helping witnesses access memories that might otherwise remain hidden.

"I'm able to interview like I did with you, the eyewitness, and come up with a sketch. What happens after they show the sketch is icing on the cake later," he said.