Pitfalls in Rush to Identify Suspects

I sympathize with the plight of Marco Antonio Reyes, the man who was charged and held in custody on molestation charges until the DNA testing cleared him (“Molestation Charges Dropped After Negative DNA Tests,” April 23).

I am a criminal defense attorney working in the southeast district of Los Angeles County. In the last six months, I have had or will have rape charges dropped against two of my clients based on exclusion results from regular lab testing and/or DNA testing.

Both clients were held after being selected from photo displays. In one of the cases, my client was identified by two separate crime victims despite an extremely limited opportunity to see their assailant who approached from behind. In the other, three victims identified another client who did not resemble their descriptions nor a composite that was prepared by an experienced police composite artist.

It’s time we recognized the unreliability and inaccuracy levels of the photographic identification. I have even talked to homicide investigators who say it has, on occasion, led them to an innocent party and almost kept them from finding the real culprit.

Perhaps if law enforcement agencies were not so quick to rush to judgment to close their open cases, they would take the time to do actual in-person lineups as well as thoroughly investigate alibi and other types of defense witnesses. I certainly hope so.

CAROLE TELFER

Fountain Valley