What is a Murphy artist in police jargon?

Answer 1

A Murphy Artist is a con artist who tricks the victim out of money or other valuables. Note the con that the grifters use in the opening scene of "The Sting" where they offer to put up money of their own, and ask the victim to hold their money and the money that the victim has. They then switch the packets with the money so that the victim winds up with cut up newspaper. A recent version of this is popular on the internet, where someone will say that they have money in an oversea bank or other place, and need a certain amount of "earnest money" to access their money, or that you have won some fabulous prize of money, and must put up money in order to secure the delivery of your winnings. Basically, it is a "something for nothing" kind of scam, and only works on those gullible or greedy enough to fall for it. Often, when done in person, it works by switching one wrapped bundle with another, or one bag with another. I heard a story on the news on May 15, 2009 where an elderly person lost $60,000 when their bag was switched with a bag holding cut up newspaper; he thought he had to won $300,000, and was told he had to put up $60,000 as security in order to get the whole $300,000. It's one of the oldest scams in the books, in all its variations, and still people fall for it. --submitted by jamrobert@comcast.net

Answer 2

Oh, dude, a Murphy artist in police jargon is basically a fancy term for someone who sketches suspects based on descriptions. They're like the police's version of a courtroom artist, but instead of drawing judges and lawyers, they're sketching out potential criminals. So, if you ever need your portrait done by law enforcement, just give a detailed description of yourself and hope you don't end up looking like a cartoon villain.

Answer 3

In police jargon, a "Murphy artist" refers to a forensic artist who specializes in creating composite sketches or drawings based on eyewitness descriptions of suspects. These artists play a crucial role in criminal investigations by helping law enforcement agencies generate visual representations of suspects to aid in identifying and apprehending them. The term "Murphy artist" is derived from the practice of creating "mug shots" or "wanted posters" of suspects, which are commonly associated with police work.