Confessions by murder suspects must be electronically...

Confessions by murder suspects must be electronically recorded by police officers under a new policy enacted this week by Attorney General Peter Harvey. The guidelines, worked out in discussions with county prosecutors, make New Jersey the 4th state to require taping of criminal suspects' statements in at least some cases. They are intended to bolster the credibility of confessions presented in court, and to make false convictions less likely. The new policy does not cover crimes other than homicide and does not require recording interrogations that lead to the confessions. Harvey said those controversial options will be considered over the next 6 months as he and prosecutors try to hammer out a more detailed directive. Until now, procedures on recorded confessions were left to individual police departments. "Unfortunately, there are people who, for whatever reason, sometimes mental illness, confess to crimes they didn't commit," said Maria Noto, president of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "I think every police officer knows that." In Alaska and Minnesota, police must tape the entire interview of a suspect. In Illinois, all questioning of homicide suspects must be electronically recorded. But many law enforcement authorities say recording entire interrogations is unwieldy, costly and could dissuade a suspect from talking openly.