The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Eyewitness Identification Practice in Police Officers – A Self-Report Survey Study

Huang, Ching-Yu; Shih, Chih-Hung

Abstract

Witness identification practice of the police plays a critical role in the criminal proceedings.
The current study examines police officers' knowledge regarding factors affecting witness
memory as well as witness interview and identification practices in Taiwan, after relevant
judicial reform had been implemented for more than a decade. A total of 499 police officers
in Taiwan participated in the survey to report their knowledge and actual practice of
eyewitness interview and identification. The findings revealed strengths as well as
weaknesses in their current practice. More disconcertingly, most (87.8%) of them did not
received relevant training, and those who received training scored lower in both eyewitness
knowledge and witness identification practice than those who received no training. These
findings suggested that operations of eyewitness identification were not completely in line
with recommended best practice outlined in recent Judicial Reform, and that the current
training need to be improved to increase its effectiveness.

Citation

Huang, C., & Shih, C. (2020). The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Eyewitness Identification Practice in Police Officers – A Self-Report Survey Study. Psychology, Crime and Law, 26(10), https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2020.1744602

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 19, 2020
• Publication Date: May 7, 2020
• Journal: Psychology, Crime and Law
• Print ISSN: 1068-316X
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 10
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2020.1744602
• Keywords: Eyewitness Identification, Witness Interview, Police, Bias, Judicial Reform
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2020.1744602