SAN ANTONIO – Members of San Antonio law enforcement agencies spent Tuesday training at the McNay Art Museum.
The training is called the Art of Perception, and by looking at works of art, participants learn to broaden their vision to think outside the box.
"People hear art and police work and they can't quite put it together," said Amy Herman, founder of Art of Perception. "It's actually a natural connection. I bring police officers, law enforcement agents (and) intelligence officers to look at works of art as a whole new visual narrative."
Herman conducts the workshops for law enforcement agencies across the country.
She said she asks officers to look at the pictures as they would a crime scene.
"I tell them that I have a profound respect for what you do. I'm not a law enforcement agent, but I’m going to help you do your job more effectively," Herman said.
"This is not something you would normally think of as training," said Mary Beth Fisk, CEO and executive director of the Ecumenical Center. "But it is a training in communication, listening (and) observation, which is so important when you're dealing with evidence and cases."
Leticia Lopez has been a chaplain at the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for about a year. Her job is to help officers at the department, other employees and their families.
She attended Tuesday's workshop at the McNay Art Museum.
"I never thought I would be looking at art as part of my training," Lopez said. "But I sure am glad that this program exists. It helps us to communicate better. We want to learn to be better listeners, better communicators.
Herman said she just wrote a book titled "Visual Intelligence." It was published in May.
WATCH: How art can help you analyze - Amy E. Herman
