NACDL has been fighting in the Illinois courts since Feb. 2007 to secure access to data and other materials related to the Chicago Police Department’s controversial, taxpayer-funded report on lineups and eyewitness procedures. The report sets forth highly controversial, and widely criticized conclusions that current eyewitness procedures—those that use traditional line ups where all suspects stand in a room together—are more effective than new procedures used in other American cities to reduce errors that can lead to wrongful convictions. Although academic research has consistently found that sequential, double-blind identification procedures substantially reduce false identifications, the report claimed that in “real life” lineups, the traditional method was more reliable. The Chicago, Evanston and Joliet police departments participated in the study with the Illinois State Police ....more
Case Materials (chronological order)
NACDL's FOIA Requests*
Circuit Court Decision, No. 07 CH 3622, June 30, 2008
Circuit Court Decision, No. 07 MR 530, July 31, 2008
NACDL's Opening Appellate Brief
NACDL's Appellate Reply Brief
Brief of Amici Curiae Supporting NACDL
Appellate Court Reversal, February 25, 2010
*Evanston is the only municipality to agree to turn over their data
