Double-blind police line-up procedures will be explored

June 8, 2011 - PRLog -- WHAT:          As if pulled from the headlines regarding the Bryan Stow Dodger Stadium assault case, a public policy forum—entitled “Eyewitness Identification: Best Practices Designed to Get the Bad Guy and Reduce the Risk of Misidentification”—will be presented by the California Forensic Science Institute at Cal State L.A.

WHEN:         12:15-1:45 p.m. – Friday, June 10, 2011.

WHERE:       Edward Roybal Board of Public Works Session Room, located at the City Hall, 200 North Main Street, room 350, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Note to editors and news directors:  Local criminal justice system leaders, representatives from the District Attorney’s office, Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender’s Office, L.A. Police Department and L.A. Sheriff’s Office, defense bar and the judiciary, along with an expert in the area of eyewitness memory, will engage in an open forum to examine best practices in the collection and preservation of eyewitness evidence. The forum, entitled “Eyewitness Identification: Best Practices Designed to Get the Bad Guy and Reduce the Risk of Misidentification,” is presented by the California Forensic Science Institute (CFSI) at Cal State L.A.  

Supported by the Gilbert W. Lindsay Endowment for Public Policy in Forensic Sciences, the event will be held Friday, June 10, 12:15-1:45 p.m., in the Edward Roybal Board of Public Works Session Room. It is also co-sponsored by CSULA College of Extended Studies and International Programs. MCLE credits will be offered.

Speakers include:
Mark Windham, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge
Dr. Mitchell Eisen, Eyewitness Memory Expert and CSULA Professor of Psychology
Sheriff Lee Baca, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Ronald Brown, Los Angeles County Public Defender
Albert DeBlanc, Attorney, Defense Bar
Janice Fukai, Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender
Scott LaChasse, Chief of Police, Burbank Police Department
Michel Moore, Assistant Chief, Los Angeles Police Department
Devallis Rutledge, Special Counsel to Los Angeles County District Attorney
John Van De Kamp, Former California Attorney General

According to Professor Eisen, “Mistaken identification is always a concern in cases involving eyewitnesses. The most common method of obtaining eyewitness identifications is through the use of photographic line-ups (AKA, 6-packs).”

Over the past few decades, an impressive body of research has revealed methods to enhance the accuracy of line-up procedures used in the field, and many of these research-based innovations have been adopted by law enforcement agencies around the country in an effort to reduce the chances of false identifications.

There is widespread agreement among experts in this area that double-blind line-up procedures can provide the single greatest safeguard against the possibility of mistaken identifications. Double-blind line-up procedures are used in Santa Clara County-California, Boston, Denver, Dallas, and Austin, and throughout the states of North Carolina and New Jersey. The June 10 forum will discuss the viability of utilizing the double-blind line-up safeguards locally.

Reporters are welcome to attend the forum.  To RSVP, call the CFSI at (323) 343-4815. To arrange interviews with Professor Eisen, call CSULA Public Affairs at (323) 343-3050.

For more about the California Forensic Science Institute at Cal State L.A., go to http://www.cal-fsi.com/.

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