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Did you know that the National Registry of Exonerations has recorded more than 3,000 cases of people being wrongly convicted in the United States?

Mistakes in criminal cases can have serious consequences on people’s lives. Wrong evidence handling and unfair practices can hurt the accused and the victims.

It might seem that there is a low number of police errors compared to all the criminal cases in the country, but it’s still important for law enforcement to be held accountable to guarantee that victims get the justice they deserve.

In this article, you will learn how mistakes committed by police affect the result of criminal cases.

Types of Police Errors in Criminal Investigations

The police may make mistakes when investigating crimes. The results can be much more serious when those mistakes happen during criminal investigations. These errors usually fall into a few different categories.

• Procedural mistakes happen when police fail to follow proper protocols during searches or interrogations, resulting in basic stuff getting overlooked. 
• Miscommunication happens when officers fail to communicate effectively, leading to the loss of important information.
• Training issues involved some officers who are not fully trained to handle evidence correctly. They contaminate crime scenes without even realizing it. The police’s failure to investigate properly or mishandle evidence can compromise the case’s credibility.
• Cognitive biases refer to assumptions made based on stereotypes instead of facts, which heavily affects the lives of people involved.

Recognizing these patterns helps us understand why some investigations go wrong from the very beginning.

 

Consequences of Improper Procedures

The fallout from improper police procedures is devastating for suspects and everyone involved. Evidence becomes tainted or thrown out entirely when police skip steps or take shortcuts. Incorrect police procedures can lead to unfavorable scenarios where innocent people go behind bars or guilty ones walk free. 

Lessen the harmful impact of these improper procedures by hiring an experienced defense lawyer. Criminal defense lawyer Cesar Arbelaez says lawyers can ask questions that aim to challenge the credibility of witnesses. Defense lawyers can use improper procedures during an arrest or criminal investigation as legal grounds to cast doubt on the evidence brought by the prosecution. 

The Role of Bias in Policing Practices

Bias creeps in even when the police are trying their best to do their duty of protecting the people. It manifests in the decisions made about who receives a traffic stop, who undergoes a search, or who receives leniency. Some communities are more likely to be stopped by law enforcement authorities than others.

Once stereotypes are established, they are difficult to change. The harm goes beyond just one case and can affect whole neighborhoods and generations.

Acknowledging these biases is not about assigning blame. It’s the first step toward demanding a better system where everyone is protected equally.

Building a More Accountable Law Enforcement System

Transparency and accountability can contribute to a more accountable law enforcement system. Body cameras can help reveal what transpired during a stop or an arrest. The behavior of police officers will likely differ if they know that their actions are being monitored.

There is also a need for independent review boards that will regularly audit police conduct and provide actual consequences for misconduct and procedural mistakes.

When officers know the neighborhoods they patrol and they build relationships instead of just enforcing laws, everything changes. 

Proper training and de-escalation techniques will also help. Accountability is not an option but rather a necessity in a fair justice system. 

Police errors matter, especially since actions committed by the police can change the lives of suspects forever. Advocating for meaningful reforms requires a thorough understanding of how police errors, such as procedural mistakes, biases, and poor communication, affect how cases are handled.