SHERIFF'S CRIME ARTISTS DRAW OUT THE SUSPECTS.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Armed not with service revolvers but with paper, an eraser and a No. 2 pencil, Deputy John Shannon and civilian Sandra Enslow are among the most effective crime-fighting teams in the Sheriff's Department.

On call 24 hours a day, the pair sketch the likenesses of suspects and witnesses. They interview detectives, relatives and bystanders for details, then create black-and-white drawings of those wanted for murder, rape, child abuse and bank robberies.

``I tell them: You are the architect, and I am the builder. I am going to draw this according to your vision,'' said Enslow, who has a bachelor's degree in art from California State University, Los Angeles.

Though it is an emotionally draining experience, Shannon realizes that he has drawn an accurate sketch when a rape victim reacts.

``You realize that they must be looking at that victim again,'' Shannon said.

They also use often-gruesome crime-scene photos to interpret how a murder victim might have looked while alive, a tool used to help locate the families.

``I had to take my best guess,'' Shannon said, pointing to a sketch of a lively, bright-eyed woman he drew after studying a photo of her bruised and bloodied body.

``They may let us read the police report, but a lot of times, we just go on the photograph,'' said Shannon, who was a deputy for three years before becoming one of the department's two sketch artists 20 years ago.

At their office in the sheriff's headquarters in Monterey Park, the artists try to make witnesses comfortable, then briefly discuss the case. The smallest detail - even lighting conditions which may have cast a shadow - is taken into consideration.

``I have a big eraser and plenty of patience. I tell them, we're done when you say we're done,'' Enslow said.

The artists first outline their subject, then focus on elements that most impressed the witness. Each sketch takes about an hour to create, Shannon said.

``The goal is to have a face that resembles the witness or suspect. We're not trying to get a portrait,'' he said. ``We come as close as we can.''

The sketches are given to law enforcement officers, displayed at police stations and, sometimes, distributed to newspapers and television stations in the hope that someone will be able to identify the subject.

Each of the artists does about a dozen sketches a week. Some of the higher profile cases the two have worked on include the suspects in the killing of a teacher at Zuma Beach several years ago and a Manhattan Beach police officer ambushed last year.

Shannon also reconstructed a three-dimensional model of the 1982 helicopter crash that killed actor Vic Morrow and two children during the filming of the ``Twilight Zone'' movie.

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Photo

Photo: Deputy John Shannon works on a crime sketch in Monterey Park.

Phil McCarten/Daily News