Policy Text
POLICY
162.0Photographic Lineups and Show-up Identification
REVISED: 11 /2011
Revised: 4/2019RELATED POLICIES:
Reviewed and Revised by Chief David
Magnusson 4/2019
EFFECTIVE: JULY 30 TH , 2011
REVISED: AUGUST 1, 2007
I. DEFINITIONS
II. COMPOSING AND CONDUCTING THE PHOTO LINEUP
lII. CONDUCTING THE SHOW-UP
REVISION NO: DATE: 07/30/11
OBJECTIVE:To establish standardized procedures for the witness identification process involving photo
lineups and show-ups of individual(s) suspected of involvement in a criminal offense. The
identification procedure will be conducted in a manner that promotes the accuracy, reliability,
fairness and objectivity of the witness identification. These procedures are designed to ensure the
accuracy of identification or non-identification decisions.
POLICY:It is the policy of the Village of El Portal Police Department (EPPD) to maximize the reliability of
suspect identifications, minimize unjust accusations against innocent persons, and to establish
evidence that is reliable and conforms to established legal procedures.
In cases involving multiple witnesses it will be the policy of the EPPD that only one witness at a
time will view the selected lineup procedure. If there are multiple suspects and a show-up
procedure is warranted, the suspects will be separated and subjected to separate show-up
procedures. Major crimes such as homicides, sexual batteries, police involved shootings
(whether police is shooter or victim), armed robberies with victims shot will be handled by
the Miami-Dade Police Department. For the aforementioned crimes, unless directed to do
so by a tending Miami-Dade Police Department lead investigator, there will be no need for
nay Village of El Portal Police Department personnel to do photgraphic line ups and/or
show-ups.
SCOPE:All employees of this Department will be governed by the procedures set forth below.
I.DEFINITIONS :
A.Administrator: The person conducting the photo lineup.
B.Suspect : The person believed by law enforcement to be involved in the commission of the
criminal offense under investigation.
C.“Double-blind” Procedure (Use of a Blind Administrator): A “double-blind” lineup is one in which
neither the administrator nor the eyewitness knows who the suspect is. This prevents the
administrator of the lineup from providing inadvertent or intentional verbal or nonverbal cues to
influence the eyewitness to pick the suspect.
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D.Witness : A person who observes another person at or near the scene of an offense.
E.Filler : A photograph of a person who is not suspected of involvement in an offense and is
included in an identification procedure
F.Photo lineup : An identification procedure, in which an array of photographs, including a
photograph of the suspected perpetrator of an offense and additional photographs of other
persons not suspected of the offense, is displayed to a witness in hard copy form for the purpose
of determining whether the witness identifies the suspect as the perpetrator.
1.Simultaneous display: all subjects are presented for viewing at the same time by a
witness.
2.Sequential display: subjects are presented one at a time for viewing by a witness.
G.Show-up : An identification procedure in which a witness is presented with a single suspect for the
purpose of determining whether the witness identifies this individual as the perpetrator.
II.COMPOSING AND CONDUCTING THE PHOTO LINEUP :
A.The following procedures will result in the composition of a photo lineup in which a suspect does
not unduly stand out in comparison to the photos of the fillers. A witness identification of a
suspect obtained through a photo lineup composed in this manner will minimize any risk of
misidentification and have stronger evidentiary value than one obtained without these procedures .
1.Whenever practical, a “double-blind” procedure will be conducted.
2.Ensure that the administrator does not know who the suspect is (if a “double-blind”
procedure is being used).
3.Whenever practical, the lineup will be audio or video recorded.
4.Include only one suspect in each identification procedure.
5.Select non-suspect fillers who generally fit the witness’ description of the perpetrator.
When there is a limited or inadequate description of the perpetrator provided by the
witness, or when the description of the perpetrator differs significantly from the
appearance of the suspect, fillers will resemble the suspect in significant features.
6.Select a photo that resembles the suspect’s description or appearance at the time of the
incident if multiple photos of the suspect are reasonably available to the investigator.
7.Include a minimum of five non-suspect fillers per identification procedure.
8.Consider placing the suspect in different positions in each lineup when conducting more
than one lineup for a case due to multiple witnesses.
9.Avoid reusing fillers in lineups shown to the same witness when showing a new suspect.
10.Ensure that no writings or information concerning previous arrest(s) will be visible to the
witness.
11.Once completed, view the array to ensure that no individual photo unduly stands out.
12.Prior to the photo lineup identification procedure,