08/14/2023
One of our agency members was recently contacted about clearing their Father and Uncle on a very old charge. This can be a near impossible feat if the original charge and conviction was more then 20 years ago.
But not impossible... we thought we'd share some helpful tips and some of the process you should keep in mind
First, Think about false identifications. False identifications occur when an eyewitness wrongly identifies a person as being the one that committed a crime.
Eyewitness testimony can be incredibly persuasive to a judge or jury but DNA has proven time and again that their identifications and testimony are often inaccurate.
[1] If you think you have been wrongly identified as a suspect, you should try any of the following:
Ask for a blind administration of your lineup
[2] This ensures that the officer conducting your lineup does not know who the possible suspect is.
[3] It prevents the officer from making suggestive statements to the eyewitness that could lead to that eyewitness wrongly identifying someone as the suspect.
Request a better lineup composition.
[4] When your lineup is conducted, try to make sure all of the other people in the lineup look like the eyewitness's description of the suspect.
[5] Ask that your identification procedure be recorded.
[6] Having your lineup videotaped can be a great way to make sure there is no misconduct.
[7] The videotape can act as evidence if you feel something went wrong.
These are just some simple suggestions.. But of course you should discuss the case with a Defense Attorney and a LPDAM member Lic Private Investigator.
