# Do police still print photographs for this reason?



## ironpony (May 2, 2018)

My story is set in modern times, where the police have to ask a witness, "do you recognize this man", and then show her the photograph, but in today's digital age, would they still print photographs for that, or would they just have the photo in their cellphones to show around, when asking people?


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## Bloggsworth (May 2, 2018)

Both, though identification from a single picture is fraught with legal bear-traps; if it turns out to be the guilty party, showing a single picture could be argued as prejudicing a witness.


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## ironpony (May 2, 2018)

Okay thanks, but prejudicing the witness, how exactly?


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## Ralph Rotten (May 3, 2018)

There are some rules for showing photos; essentially they are the same as a lineup.
So the photos must all be of the same or similar style.  You can't have a buncha 1950s pics and a single modern pic of the suspect.  Typically they use mugshots so they look similar.  The deputies used to have these pages with little windows, and you could post pictures behind each of them so just the face peered out through the template.  They held like 6 or 9 pics, and the deputy could go door to door and show them to the locals, and the responses would be legally admissible if they follow line-up protocols. 

Nowadays they can do the same thing with photoshop.


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## ironpony (May 3, 2018)

Okay thanks, that makes sense.  So nowadays instead of doing it with photos coming through a paper, if the police brought in someone to the station to be interviewed and they showed her the photos, would they just show her on a computer or laptop screen?


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## Ralph Rotten (May 3, 2018)

In the office they may use a desktop PC running software designed to give a 'legal' photo lineup.
Out on the street they would prolly use a print out.


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## ironpony (May 5, 2018)

Okay thanks, this helps a lot!


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## Ralph Rotten (May 5, 2018)

Have you ever considered contacting your local PD or SO for a ride-along?  Most agencies do it, they love the opportunity to educate the public on what they do.  Much of the animus against the Po-Po is simply people not understanding the law enforcement system.  Go do a ride-along and ask a million questions.


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## ironpony (May 13, 2018)

Okay thanks, I considered that, but I feel that the ride along wouldn't provide anything useful for me, as my story has very unique scenarios in, that would not come up in a real night out on patrol.  But I find out if they have them and see.


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