NCJ Number
226855
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 76 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2009 Pages: 130,133-135,137,141
Date Published
April 2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes the successful implementation of a blind sequential lineup protocol in Ramsey County, MN.
Abstract
Ramsey County’s experience with the blind sequential lineup model is confident that the change in protocol represents an improvement over prior practice. After almost 4 years of experience with the model, investigators and prosecutors report no problems with the change. Notwithstanding laboratory findings that this method may produce a slight drop in correct identifications, investigators do not feel they have lost identifications, and they have increased confidence in the identifications that are made. The Ramsey County experience unequivocally demonstrates the model can work in a law enforcement setting. A critical issue identified in the law enforcement community today has been the problem of faulty eyewitness identification. There has been a push to reexamine current practices and to implement change. This article is intended as a pragmatic contribution to the reform discussion and describes Ramsey County’s implementation of the blind sequential lineup model and its feasibility in a law enforcement setting. Lineup reform supported by scientific study suggests that lineups be “blind” (conducted by someone who does not know who the suspect is) and sequential. The article addresses the practical application of this reform in a law enforcement setting and provides specifics for any other agency interested in doing so. 33 notes