North Carolina now taping murder suspect statements

RALEIGH (AP) — Police in North Carolina are now taping their interviews with homicide suspects, under a new law that took effect last month.

Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, told The News & Observer of Raleigh it’s a relatively new idea.

Some police agencies are using audio recording. The News & Observer reported Monday that the Raleigh Police Department has installed a $22,244 system to record the statements.

Pittsboro Police Chief David Collins said his department is struggling to find the money to meet the requirements.

Dieter says taping can prevent false confessions. The New York-based Innocence Project estimates false confessions happened in one-fourth of the cases where DNA has since freed prisoners.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)