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SALT LAKE CITY — A woman who has drawn sketches to help police identify criminals is retiring after 41 years of service.
Karen Kido has been involved in every major Salt Lake City police case for more than four decades. She is a talented artist who has been able to draw sketches with enough detail to help investigators identify criminals. Kido said that she has really enjoyed her work.
"It's just so darn interesting," Kido said.
Kido started working for the Salt Lake City Police department in 1972. She said it wasn't easy back then getting a job in the police department as a woman, let alone an Asian woman.
"In the beginning females weren't that present in law enforcement," she said.
However, after 41 years of service, she has received recognition and several stars on her uniform. Kido said that officers earn a star for every five years in the field.
Eventually she began working in the crime lab, where she fell in love with her job drawing sketches and working in fingerprint analysis.
"There's nothing like going to a burglary, lifting a print, coming back and (putting) it in AFIS, getting a hit, and then, 'Gosh, your case is solved,' " Kido said.
Last week, Kido received an award for her work, and her co-workers said replacing her is impossible.
"Believe me, when she walks out that door, there's going to be tears," said crime lab supervisor Julene Lundsberg.
Kido said that it will be hard for her as well to no longer be working.
"Maybe I'll draw something pretty instead of something so practical looking," she said.
Kido said she's looking forward to a big family reunion during the summer and maybe starting to do a little yoga.
However, she admitted that it would be hard for her to hear about a big case her co-workers are working on and to not be a part of it.
