The Nature and Results of Eyewitness Lineups Conducted by the Houston Police Department Robbery Division: August 2011 – January 2012

• In Event: Eyewitness Identification Procedures: Theory, Reform, Effects, and Findings from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract

Social scientific research is having a substantial impact on eyewitness identification procedural reforms. Shaped by findings from laboratory research, police agencies across the United States are changing their methods of showing photo spreads to victims and eyewitnesses. The program of research on police eyewitness identification procedures has entailed very few studies of identification procedures using data from police investigations. The current study contributes new knowledge by describing detailed aspects of eyewitness identification procedures conducted as a part of robbery investigations in Houston, TX. The data capture the characteristics of 1,019 identification procedures including photo, live, and video lineups, administered by the Houston Police Department from August 2011 through January 2012. Results regarding the nature of these procedures, policy implications, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Authors

• Bradley A. Campbell, Sam Houston State University

• Yudu Li, Sam Houston State University

• Stryker Swindle, Sam Houston State University

• William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University