DALLAS, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- DNA exonerations of people convicted because of mistaken identifications have spurred ID reform measures, law enforcement officials said.
At least five states – North Carolina, Connecticut, West Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland – and some cities, including Dallas, are devising new techniques for witness identification of criminal suspects.
One change is for investigators to present photographs sequentially -- one-by-one instead of in blocks -- to eyewitnesses, USA Today reported Thursday.
Dallas, Tucson and New York state are among locations adopting the sequential method.
The new techniques are a "huge change to the investigative process," said Police Lt. David Pughes, who is in charge of the Dallas Police Department's mugshot presentations. He said the changes occurred after Dallas County was identified as the source of the country's largest number of DNA exonerations.
In the past 20 years, 242 people have been exonerated by DNA testing.
Approximately 75 percent of them were wrongfully convicted due to some type of mistaken identification on the part of eyewitnesses, said Stephen Saloom, policy director of the Innocence Project, a group that uses DNA evidence to free wrongfully convicted prisoners.
Saloom said the organization plans to try next year to promote photographic lineup modifications in 10 states.
