Recently, Texas became the tenth state to have their state’s police departments review the procedures for conducting police lineups. Departments in Texas were strongly encouraged to consider research done in this area by psychologists.
A story on National Public Radio details the ways research can help lower the number of innocent people picked out of lineups.
In conducting a photo lineup for an eyewitness, research suggests showing the witness one photograph at a time. Researchers say this has the effect of having the witness compare the photograph to his or her memory of the suspect instead of one photograph to another.
Research has also shown that the officer conducting the lineup should not know which person in the lineup is the actual suspect. This prevents any unconscious communication from taking place between the officer and the witness.
For both photographic lineups and lineups where the people are present, telling the witness that the suspect might not be present also changes how witnesses approach a lineup.
