WSJ.com – To Master the Art Of Solving Crimes, Cops Study Vermeer

Date: 2005.07.28 | Category: General | Tags:

WSJ.com – To Master the Art Of Solving Crimes, Cops Study Vermeer
One Monday earlier this year, when New York’s Frick Collection was closed to the public, about 15 New York police officers were ushered inside. The officers, some wearing their holsters, solemnly gathered around a conference table in an ornate, wood-paneled room. Having no idea why they had been summoned there, some assumed it was for a security briefing. They were surprised when they were told the real reason: They were there to look at art.

Capt. Ernest Pappas frowned in concentration as he stood before Vermeer’s “Mistress and Maid” in the Frick’s plush West Gallery and was asked to describe the painting.

I would be very curious to see any validation of this training. It assumes that observing a painting and observing a crime scene are transferrable skills, which seems unlikely, to say the very least.