Connecticut House Passes Eyewitness Identification Bill

Connecticut’s House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday to support legislation to set new standards for how police conduct photo and live lineups in an effort to improve eyewitness reliability.

 

House Bill 5501 expands the instructions police must give to eyewitnesses before they view a lineup. In addition, witnesses would see only one photo or one witness at a time, which has been scientifically proven to reduce the rate at which innocent suspects are identified. Current police procedures in Connecticut already include blind administration, where the police officer administering a photo or live lineup is not aware who the suspect is.

 

The bill now goes to the Senate.

 

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