Collecting Eyewitness Evidence

Collecting Eyewitness Evidence: Reducing Wrongful Convictions is a practical, research‑based guide designed to improve how eyewitness evidence is gathered, evaluated, and presented within the criminal justice system. Written from both a practitioner’s and scholar’s perspective, the book addresses one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions: mistaken eyewitness identification.

Drawing on decades of law enforcement experience and established cognitive science, the book explains how human memory works—and why it can fail under stress, poor lighting, trauma, suggestion, or flawed procedures. It distinguishes between Estimator Variables (factors outside system control, such as lighting and stress) and System Variables (procedures that can be improved, such as lineup construction and witness instructions), emphasizing that procedural reform can significantly reduce identification errors.

The first part of the book explores the history and realities of wrongful convictions, including personal case experience that illustrates how sincere witnesses can still make devastating mistakes. The second part provides step‑by‑step, field‑tested guidance on best practices for admonishing witnesses, assembling and presenting photospreads, conducting live and video lineups, managing show‑ups, and documenting identification procedures in a way that is both legally defensible and scientifically sound.

Blending academic research with real‑world application, Collecting Eyewitness Evidence serves as a training manual, reference text, and classroom resource for law enforcement officers, investigators, supervisors, attorneys, judges, and criminal justice students who are committed to accuracy, integrity, and justice.

About the Author

Dr. Stephen Lee Morrison is a veteran law enforcement professional, educator, and researcher with nearly five decades of experience in policing and over two decades as a college instructor. He served more than 41 years with the Houston Police Department, including extensive work in the Robbery Division, and later became a captain in the Harris County Precinct 4 training division.

Dr. Morrison earned his Ph.D. in Administration of Criminal Justice from the University of Southern Mississippi, combining practitioner experience with scholarly research to focus on eyewitness identification, investigative integrity, and policy reform. He played a key role in developing and implementing eyewitness evidence collection policies and trained thousands of officers on best practices designed to reduce wrongful convictions.

He has taught criminal justice and law enforcement courses at multiple universities for 24 years, authored peer‑reviewed publications, contributed to nationally recognized research, and helped lead an award‑winning field study on eyewitness identification methods. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to bridging the gap between science, policy, and frontline policing.

Dr. Morrison currently offers professional training and case consultation on eyewitness evidence and continues to advocate for evidence‑based practices that protect the innocent while strengthening the pursuit of justice.