© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

FL Senate Approves Eyewitness ID Measure Unanimously

Then Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala).  He now serves in the Florida Senate.
Florida House of Representatives

The Florida Senate has unanimously approved a statewide standard for eyewitness identification.

A rash of wrongful convictions in recent years has shined a light on the shortcomings of eyewitness identification in criminal investigations.  Advocates have pushed for a number of changes to the way law enforcement agencies conduct suspect line-ups, and Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) presented some of those proposals in the Senate floor.

“This is the bill that establishes a uniform procedure for conducting eyewitness identification,” Baxley said, “This will prevent misidentification, strengthen cases and avoid wrongful conviction.”

In live and photo line-ups the administering officer has to be unaware of the suspect’s identity to avoid prompting the witness.  A similar proposal is heading for its final committee in the House.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.