MN SF1256

The board must develop a statewide model policy on eyewitness identification best practices by November 1, 2020, and distribute it to all chief law enforcement officers.

The model policy must require that lineup administrators be unaware of the suspect's identity, or if impractical, use photographic lineups that prevent the administrator from seeing which lineup member the eyewitness views.

Eyewitnesses must be instructed before the procedure that the perpetrator may or may not be in the lineup, and nonsuspect "fillers" must be substantially similar to the eyewitness's description of the perpetrator.

Immediately after an identification is made, the eyewitness must provide a written statement in their own words describing their confidence level in the identification.

All state and local law enforcement agencies must adopt and implement a written eyewitness identification policy identical to or substantially similar to the model policy by February 1, 2021.