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Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement

NCJ Number
178240
Date Published
October 1999
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This booklet describes improved procedures for collecting and preserving eyewitness evidence within the criminal justice system.
Abstract
The booklet is divided into five sections, with sub-sections as noted: (1) Initial Report of the Crime/First Responder (Preliminary Investigator): Answering the 9-1-1/Emergency Call, Investigating the scene, Obtaining information from the witness(es); (2) Mug Books and Composites: Preparing mug books, Developing and using composite images, Instructing the witness, Documenting the procedure; (3) Procedures for Interviewing the Witness by the Follow-up Investigator: Pre-interview procedures and decisions, Initial (pre-interview) contact with the witness, Conducting the interview, Recording witness recollections, Assessing the accuracy of individual elements of a witness's statement, Maintaining contact with the witness; (4) Field Identification Procedure (Show-up): Conducting show-ups, Recording show-up results; and (5) Procedures for Eyewitness Identification of Suspects: Composing photo and live line-ups, Instructing the witness prior to photo and live line-ups, Conducting the identification procedure for simultaneous and sequential photo and live line-ups, Recording identification results. Figure, appendixes