Legal Definitions - Pretrial lineup

A pretrial lineup is a formal investigative procedure conducted by law enforcement before a trial begins. Its purpose is to allow a witness or victim of a crime to attempt to identify a suspect from a group of individuals who share similar general characteristics. The suspect is placed among several non-suspects (often called "fillers") to test the witness's ability to recognize the alleged perpetrator.

• Example 1: After a bank robbery, a teller provides a detailed description of the robber to the police. Several days later, police apprehend a person matching that description. To confirm the identification, the police arrange a lineup where the teller is asked to observe the suspect along with five other men of similar age, height, and build, to see if the teller can identify the individual who robbed the bank.

  Explanation: This demonstrates a pretrial lineup because law enforcement is using a group of individuals to test the witness's identification of a suspect before the case goes to trial, aiming to gather evidence for prosecution.

• Example 2: A college student is assaulted late at night on campus and gets a brief but clear look at their attacker. Police later develop a person of interest based on other evidence. Detectives organize a lineup where the victim is asked to observe the person of interest alongside several volunteers who resemble the initial description provided by the victim.

  Explanation: This illustrates a pretrial lineup as it's a police-orchestrated event for a victim to try and pick out their alleged assailant from a group, aiming to gather identification evidence before any formal court proceedings begin.

• Example 3: A security guard witnesses someone breaking into a warehouse after hours and provides a description to the police. A few days later, police detain an individual matching that description in the vicinity. The police then arrange a lineup for the security guard to view the detained individual among others, to confirm if they can identify the person they saw committing the break-in.

  Explanation: This is a pretrial lineup because it's a formal procedure where a witness (the security guard) attempts to identify a suspect from a group of individuals, providing crucial identification evidence for the prosecution before the case proceeds to court.