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In reply to the discussion: Witnesses said a bank robber didn't have facial tattoos. So police digitally altered [View all]dalton99a
(81,485 posts)1. Not the only mug shot digitally altered by Portland police
Ahlemeyer, the defense attorney, claimed the Photoshop job had a different motivation: It made his client look more like the perpetrator. Admitting the results into evidence could be a slippery slope, he argued.
If a witness reports that a perpetrator did not have any front teeth, can the government simply black out a suspects teeth on the theory that it could be done with cosmetics? he wrote. Or if a suspects skin color is too dark or too light as compared to objective video evidence, can the government simply press a few strokes on a computer keyboard and adjust the color to match that objective evidence?
Those questions largely havent been tested in court before, but Allen apparently isnt the only one whose mug shot was digitally altered by the Portland Police Bureau. According to the Oregonian, Mark Weber, the forensic criminalist who painted over the tattoos, testified he had edited other suspects photos for lineups before and didnt write up a report because the police department doesnt require it.
If a witness reports that a perpetrator did not have any front teeth, can the government simply black out a suspects teeth on the theory that it could be done with cosmetics? he wrote. Or if a suspects skin color is too dark or too light as compared to objective video evidence, can the government simply press a few strokes on a computer keyboard and adjust the color to match that objective evidence?
Those questions largely havent been tested in court before, but Allen apparently isnt the only one whose mug shot was digitally altered by the Portland Police Bureau. According to the Oregonian, Mark Weber, the forensic criminalist who painted over the tattoos, testified he had edited other suspects photos for lineups before and didnt write up a report because the police department doesnt require it.
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Witnesses said a bank robber didn't have facial tattoos. So police digitally altered [View all]
IronLionZion
Aug 2019
OP
Damn, so the forensic criminalist might have blown up a ton of other cases and convictions or just
uponit7771
Aug 2019
#30
I thought they were allowed to lie to suspects not witness's about suspects?
uponit7771
Aug 2019
#31
If they could prove the tatoos were new then I would have no problem with this but if they cannot
cstanleytech
Aug 2019
#19
The tattoos are before the crime. Police think he disguised it with makeup
IronLionZion
Aug 2019
#21
Well they need to prove that then otherwise it probably needs to be tossed unless they have
cstanleytech
Aug 2019
#22
If I was a bank robber and had facial tattoos I would cover them with make up
Generic Brad
Aug 2019
#32