Memory and witness identification experts will now be allowed to testify in criminal trials in Louisiana. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”
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Legislation headed to Governor’s desk from Lafayette Representative Nancy Landry revises current anti-hazing laws for colleges. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
cut 2 (31) I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A cold front will bring the Bayou State cooler temperatures and lower humidity for the next few days. Davyon Hill with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says it’s rare to see a cold front in Louisiana in June
Cut 3 (12) “…exceptions.”
Hill says the cold front will drop high temperatures into the 80s tomorrow and the morning lows through Friday will be cool. He says you’ll feel the difference when you walk outside…
Cut 4 (11) “…north Louisiana”
Hill says the heat and humidity will return Friday afternoon, so get outside the next few days and enjoy this brief return to spring like weather…
Cut 5 (12) “…several days.”
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Governor Edwards signs legislation allowing eyewitness identification experts the right to testify in criminal trials. Innocence Project New Orleans Staff Attorney Kia Hayes says this policy brings the state in line with most other states and could cut down on the instances of false identifications. Before last Wednesday…
Cut 6 (12) “…identification”
The law passed the legislature unanimously. The reform specifies that those experts can be called in to potentially speak about the unreliability of eyewitness identification when there is no physical evidence that corroborates an accuser’s account. Hayes pointed out one such situation where a victim’s recollection of a perp’s face might be questionable…
Cut 7 (09) “…face”
Wilbert Jones was in attendance for the bill signing. Mr. Jones was exonerated after serving 46 years in prison on a rape charge stemming from a single eyewitness. At the time the witness told police she wasn’t 100 percent certain about the ID, and Hayes says that kind of info could have changed Jones’ life.
Cut 8 (08) “…first place.”
Hayes says 28 people, that they know of, have been convicted on a case of mistaken identity.
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The 2019 Legislative Session marks the first increase in base funding for higher education in a decade. Lawmakers appropriated an additional 47-million dollars to help with mandated costs for universities and colleges. Higher Ed Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says lawmakers were attentive to their issues…
Cut 9 (10) “….to do that.”
When asked if surpluses in the budget should be applied toward education, Reed says stable budgets produce forwarding thinking about education policy.
Cut 10 (12) “…is very important.”
Reed says the focus of higher ed will continue to be on affordability, innovation and expansion of talent development in Louisiana.
Cut 11 (09) “…in new ways.”
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The battle to deter hazing on college campuses continues with a bill on the way to the Governor’s desk authored by Lafayette Representative Nancy Landry. It revises the state’s current anti-hazing laws based on the recommendations of law enforcement. Landry says among the changes is the amount of time given to organizations to report hazing activity to law enforcement.
Cut 12 (10) “…week grace period.”
Landry says the changes come so that the organization and law enforcement can conduct their investigations concurrently, but it allows law enforcement to analyze the freshest evidence to determine if the incident is a criminal matter.
Cut 13 (09) “…incident was reported.”
Landry says with the changes, campus police are allowed to take their hazing investigation beyond the campus.
Cut 14 (12) “…hazing perpetrators are.”