Adopted at the 121st Annual Conference

Orlando, Florida

October 21, 2014

Support for Local Implementation of Upgrades to Improve Quality of Criminal Investigations

Submitted by: Civil Rights Committee, Forensics Committee, Police Administration Committee, Police Investigative Operations Committee, Professional Standards, Image and Ethics Committee and Victim Services Committee

FOR.007.T14

WHEREAS, law enforcement is the most visible component of the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement commonly serves as the lead body in conducting a criminal investigation; and

WHEREAS, a community empowers and trusts law enforcement to impartially and fully investigate crime; and

WHEREAS, a criminal investigation is a search for the truth with goals to exonerate the innocent and to identify and apprehend the perpetrator of a crime predicated upon facts and evidence; and

WHEREAS, charging a person with a crime requires demonstration to a court of competent jurisdiction the existence of probable cause that leads a reasonable person to conclude that a definable criminal act occurred and that the accused was the likely perpetrator; and

WHEREAS, the quality and integrity of a criminal investigation has material impact on the final adjudication of a criminal allegation by a court of law in finding the accused either guilty or not guilty; and

WHEREAS, in rare instances a finding of guilt is reversed due to a wrongful conviction; and

WHEREAS, when there is a wrongful conviction, harm can be inflicted on the individual wrongfully convicted, family members, victims, witnesses, police officers, prosecutors, judges, and members of the jury; and

WHEREAS, conviction of the wrong person ensures that the guilty party is free to continue criminal behavior; and

WHEREAS, in the aftermath of a wrongful conviction, law enforcement frequently suffers the brunt of diminished community trust which is essential to the maintenance of public order; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has long recognized the importance of excellence in conducting criminal investigations; and

WHEREAS, IACP members from several countries have been dealing with the issues of wrongful convictions within their purview and have engaged in reviews and inquiries to understand and address wrongful convictions; and

WHEREAS, the IACP continues to provide a broad spectrum of support to law enforcement through comprehensive research, model policies, issue papers, training, agency audits and legislative initiatives all designed to improve and institutionalize the quality and integrity of criminal investigations across the law enforcement profession; and

WHEREAS, the IACP is a leader in forming and maintaining collaborative efforts as evidenced by continuing work with the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, as well as private sector organizations to ensure excellence in criminal investigations; and

WHEREAS, the IACP, in full cooperation with the Office of Justice Programs and in response to membership interest, completed far-reaching work leading to the development of strategies and tactics to avoid law enforcement investigative action or inaction that may result in a wrongful conviction; and

WHEREAS, the findings, conclusions and recommendations of this far reaching work are published in a report titled, "National Summit on Wrongful Convictions: Building a Systemic Approach to Prevent Wrongful Convictions"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP duly assembled at its 121st Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, urges all United States of America law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to consider the findings of the "National Summit on Wrongful Convictions: Building a Systemic Approach to Prevent Wrongful Convictions" report for applicability in their jurisdictions, and to use the report as the source document for future actions and recommendations to improve criminal investigative strategies, policies and practices when determined appropriate by an individual law enforcement agency in order to ultimately prevent wrongful convictions; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the IACP encourages all law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in countries separate of the United States of America to adopt the appropriate findings, conclusions and recommendations contained in reports resulting from their inquiries and reviews to address the issues of wrongful convictions, and, where no such report exists, that they give just consideration to adopting as appropriate the findings, conclusions and recommendations contained in the aforementioned report in order to ultimately prevent wrongful convictions.