The Austin Police Department has announced changes in its photo line-up procedure.
The double-blind sequential method means a person unrelated to the case presents mugshots one-by-one to an eyewitness. Generally, mugshots are presented six at a time. Most municipal police departments in the state, including Amarillo, still present photos in this way.
Jeff Blackburn and Adam Tisdell have lobbied the Texas Legislature for years trying to make the double-blind sequential line-up mandatory for all 254 counties in Texas. They say there are studies that indicate wrongful identifications have been lessened using the new method.
Sgt. Brent Barbee of the Amarillo Police Department says some eyewitnesses are very credible and some are not. He says APD uses the double blind method. He says the first thing an officer does is to find another detective to show a photo line-up to a witness. "They don’t want someone to say that the detective involved in the case gave the witness some sort of conscious or unconscious clue. APD does not do the line-up sequentially, however.
Attorney Adam Tisdell says his plan "in the legislature this year is to get a bill passed that make this mandatory for all counties. It’s better policy and it doesn’t cost taxpayers money."
The 83rd Legislature convened Tuesday.
