News
New study calls for change in police lineups
Posted: Sep 19, 2011 6:17 AM by Kate Richards
Updated: Sep 19, 2011 6:17 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) - A new study says those lineups you see on television crime dramas and often used in real-life police departments are going about it all wrong.
The study released Monday by the American Judicature Society says witnesses should not look at a group of people to pick a perpetrator. Instead, they should look at individuals one-by-one with a detective who doesn't know which is the real suspect.
The study, conducted in four U.S. police departments, found witnesses using the sequential method were less likely to pick the innocents brought in to fill out the lineup.
The theory is that witnesses using the sequential lineup will compare each person to the perpetrator in their memory, instead of to one another side-by-side to see which most looks like the criminal.
As Seen On News 5
