Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:
___
July 24
The Courier of Houma on how law enforcement officers must conduct suspect lineups:
Changes are coming to the way law enforcement officers are required to conduct lineups of crime suspects before eyewitnesses.
Those changes should be for the better.
Eyewitnesses can be credible, valuable assets to investigators as they search for the truth. Unfortunately, they can also be unreliable and easily manipulated by unscrupulous officers.
The aim should always be to determined what happened and who was responsible. The goal should not be to build a case against a particular suspect. This might be a subtle distinction, but it is one that could send innocent people to jail and leave the actual criminals on the streets.
(…)
The essence of the new rules is to use blind lineups whenever possible. In a blind lineup, the officer showing photos to the witness doesn’t know who the suspect is in the case. There are other provisions that can help secure reliable eyewitness testimony even when the officer is aware of who the suspect is.
Significantly, the new law requires that photo lineups include photos that all match the general description of the suspect. Doing that should limit the possibility that the suspect’s photo stands out for reasons other than the witness’s familiarity with the person.
The law enforcement agencies around the state that have to change their procedures have until the end of January to do so.
This might seem like a hardship to some agencies, particularly those that are small. But the difference will be worth the trouble.
Jee Park, executive director of the Innocence Project New Orleans, said the focus on all sides should be finding the suspect who is identified by the evidence, including eyewitness testimony.
“All of our interests are aligned that we want to prevent wrongful convictions,” Park said. “If we can implement a procedure - scientifically based, evidence-based procedures - that would minimize the risk of an eyewitness making a mistake. That’s something we should get behind.”
And there will be help. There is a model policy that was written by the Louisiana Sheriff’s Executive Management Institute that can give all agencies a good place to start evaluating their own policies and enacting policies that comply with the new law.
This change should result in better testimony and fewer mistakes. It will certainly be an improvement.
Online: https://www.thetowntalk.com/
___
July 24
The Lake Charles American Press on the state reviving a program that would help teachers afford college:
The state has revived a program that would give teachers the opportunity to attend college tuition free to help prioritize science, technology, engineering and math in their schools.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shelved its Tuition Program for Teachers in 2010 amid budget cuts. The revived program, which teachers have to apply to participate in, is expected to serve about 21 public and private school teachers initially.
“Louisiana strives to make STEM education available to all students to help build a workforce and a citizenry fluent in future technologies,” State Superintendent John White said in a news release. “That will necessitate fully prepared teachers with every opportunity to further their own education.”
If selected for the college-free tuition program by BESE, a teacher could then enroll at Centenary, Louisiana or Our Lady of Holy Cross colleges; Dillard, Tulane, Xavier or Loyola universities; Tulane Medical School; or at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.
Teachers who apply but are not accepted into the program initially then become eligible for the Classroom Teacher Enrollment Program, which allows teachers to enroll in college classes if space is available. That program would allow teachers to pursue up to six hours per semester.
(…)
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the United States is falling behind internationally, ranking 29th in math and 22nd in science among industrialized nations.
In our competitive global economy, that is unacceptable.
All young people should be prepared to think deeply and to think well so that they have the chance to become the innovators, educators, researchers and leaders who can solve the challenges facing our nation and world today and tomorrow.
We applaud the decision to revive the program.
Online: http://www.americanpress.com/
___
July 24
The Advocate of Baton Rouge says signs are pointing toward a calmer hurricane season in Louisiana:
Louisiana residents got some good news recently when weather experts announced a revised forecast for this year’s hurricane season that predicts it will be less active than normal.
That’s no reason for us to let down our guard though, as those of us who live along the Gulf Coast enter the final - and often eventful - leg of this year’s storm season.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and is set to conclude on Nov. 30, reflecting the period each year when meteorologists believe that storm formation is most likely to occur.
Earlier this year, experts at Colorado State University predicted 14 total named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes this season. Recently, CSU’s weather-watchers updated their analysis, forecasting only 11 named storms, four hurricanes and one major hurricane of Category 3 or higher intensity threatening the United States this year. A pattern of cooler-than-average water temperatures in parts of the Atlantic is helping to moderate the season, and increased wind shear in the Atlantic could help, too.
Weather forecasting is an iffy business, and even in a less active hurricane season, all it takes is one storm rolling ashore in Louisiana to do serious damage. The Great Flood of 2016, which devastated many homes and businesses in the greater Baton Rouge area, was caused by an unnamed storm system. That tragedy was powerful proof that even unnamed storms can be very destructive.
Those realities underscore how important it is for area residents to remain vigilant this hurricane season. Stocking up on storm supplies and having an evacuation plan in place are critical for those of us who live in south Louisiana.
We hope that predictions hold true and that 2018 turns out to be a relatively uneventful period for hurricanes. But we won’t really be able to know if we’ve dodged Mother Nature’s bullet until Thanksgiving approaches. In the meantime, preparation is key.
Online: https://www.theadvocate.com/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.