Police To Videotape Murder Confessions

Dallas police will start videotaping confessions made by murder suspects this summer following two cases in which interrogation techniques were questioned. One of the cases involved a woman accusing an officer of raping her in an interrogation room, but she subsequently said the allegation was false.

Prosecutors and police believe videotaping confessions will make prosecutions more effective, though many police departments have been cautious about incorporating videotaping.

Nevertheless, Tom Sullivan, who practices law in Chicago, said in a report conducted for the Illinois governor’s office that 350 police departments across the nation support use of videotapes. Dallas officials have yet to determine how much of the confession they will videotape.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Dallas Morning News (05/30/05) P. 10B; Trahan, Jason.