One advantage john had been that he had a job as salesmen for bank security systems. This allowed john to know how the system worked bad how to get around it. John would also use a ploy where he would tell the bank he was shooting a bank robbery scene for a movie and needed to see for the bank. The bank robbers would actually rob the bank like it was a scene from a movie and walk out of the bank with all the money while civilians would cheer while they walked out with all the
What actually happened the night that the unarmed young man was shot and killed? On October 3rd, 1974, at about 10:45pm police were called to the scene of a burglary in process. When police arrived a young man was running to a fence. The officer called out and identified himself as the police and yelled for the suspect to stop. The officer used a flashlight and was able to see the suspect was unarmed.
Participants were then given 50 photos and asked to identify the person. The findings were that witnessed who had seen the man holding the knife emerge accurately identified him, 44% of the time, whereas the participants who saw the man carrying the bloodstained knife only identified him 33%. However, this study can be criticized. This is because the study was a lab experiment and was done in a lab. The variables can be manipulated so it could therefore be bias.
Some incidents, such as violent crimes or serious accidents, are synonymous with high levels of anxiety, which can affect the memory encoded, thus affecting the accuracy of the testimony. Loftus (1979) conducted a laboratory experiment to test the link between anxiety and the accuracy of recall and identification. Participants in this study were exposed to either a situation involving the overhearing of a low-key discussion concerning equipment failure, and then witnessing a man emerge from the laboratory holding a pen and with grease on his hands, or a situation involving the overhearing of a heated and hostile exchange between people in the laboratory, and then witnessing a man emerge from the laboratory holding a paper knife, covered in blood. When asked to identify the man holding the pen, participants accurately identified the person 49% of the time. However, when asked to identify the man holding the knife, participants accurately identified the person only 33% of the time.
The mean speed estimate was calculated for each group. The group given the word ‘smashed’ estimated a higher speed than the other groups (about 41 mph). The group given the word ‘contacted’ estimated the lowest speed (about 30 mph) Loftus’ research suggested that EWT was generally inaccurate and therefore unreliable, but not all researchers agree with this conclusion. Yuille and Cutshall (1986) interviewed 13 people who had witnessed an armed robbery in Canada. The interviews took place more than 4 months after the crime and included two misleading questions.
The rate of injuries to suspects fell 30 percent after Tasers were introduced, while the rate of officer injuries fell by a quarter in Austin (The Post and Courier, 2009). Stun guns use an electromagnetic pulse to override a person’s nervous system, temporarily disabling a suspect and giving officers a brief window to cuff and control him (The Post and Courier, 2009). Deputies are trained to use their tasers only when necessary, such as when a suspect resists arrest, threatens an officer or tries to escape (The Post and Courier, 2009). Civil rights groups have questioned the frequency of taser use and the safety of the devices (The Post and Courier, 2009). Such questions gained traction when a man with a history of mental impairment died after being stunned multiple times with a taser by police (The Post and Courier, 2009).
This research suggests that if a person is threatened which will increase stress and anxiety levels, they are more likely to remember. Conversely a meta-analysis of 18 studies into the effects of anxiety on witness recall concluded that high levels of stress negatively impact on recall. The weapon-focus effect (Johnson and Scott 1976) suggests that the presence of a weapon can diminish accuracy in recall. In the experiment participants sat outside an experimental psychology lab, waiting to take part in an experiment. A receptionist was in the room for a short while and made an excuse to leave.
However, the people who were subjected to the highest levels of anxiety were nearest to the incident so would have been able to see more clearly what happened. Also Christianson and Hubinette who interviewed people who had witnessed genuine bank robberies and found that the people who had been subjected to the greatest anxiety had the most detailed and accurate recall, Some were onlookers and some were bank clerks who had been directly threatened by the robbers.The recall lasted even after 15 months. There is also Research showing that anxiety has a negative effect on eye witness testimony such as Peters who again interviewed people attending a health clinic for an injection (which would make people anxious) and whilst they were there they spent an equal amount of time with the nurse and the researcher. A week later when participants were asked to identify both the nurse and the researcher they found it easier to identify the researcher. Loftus took two groups of participants who would over hear either an argument which is violent or a discussion a more peaceful scene followed by a man leaving the room where the argument or discussion took place either holding a knife
The police officers that handled the Central Park Five case had no clue to who committed the attack on the white women. The confesion of five teenagers would help them believe that they had solved the case.
The results of this are sometimes tragic, as shown by the recent Sandy Hook school shooting, in which scores of innocent elementary school children were murdered by a mentally ill individual who was able to access firearms. Other problems include criminals purchasing firearms to help them commit robberies or engage in illegal activities. One only has to watch the nightly news to see the results of misuse of firearms and their often fatal consequences, and the question of what can be done to curb the violence often