Police attend seminar for accurate convictions

In September, more than fifty captains, lieutenants, and commanders of the Pittsburgh Police Department attended a program to educated members of law enforcement about advancements in the police techniques of photographic- and live-witness identification. Known as the Enhancing Law Enforcement’s Ability to Ensure Accurate Convictions: Techniques & Scientific Development seminar, it was organized by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, the Innocence Project, and the Pittsburgh Police Department. Now that the new techniques are being established and detectives have been trained on them, it is making cross-examination easier. This is because investigators are essentially forced to acknowledge that the old way of doing things were wrong. This is especially true in cases with little-to-no physical evidence. There are thousands of cases still pending in the state, many of them here. For instance, one of recent Pittsburgh-area cases is being questioned because it is believed that Pittsburgh police officers used "suggestive techniques" that likely led to witness misidentification. The hope is that the new identification procedures currently being used will result in the arrest of fewer individuals in Pittsburgh who are innocent. But there is still a fear that remains about members of law enforcement who find ways to "bend the rules" and be suggestive when interviewing witnesses. This makes my role as an experienced Pittsburgh criminal defense trial attorney more valuable and I enjoy the challenges. If you have questions about a crime for which you have been arrested, call Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney Gary Gerson today for a free consultation at 412-219-6875.