Call for recorded police interrogations revived

Days after a lawyer questioned the validity of a 15-year-old?s confession to the murder of his Cockeysville family, state lawmakers are reviving a proposal requiring police to videotape interrogations in all major criminal cases.

If passed, Maryland would join eight states and Washington, D.C., in requiring recorded confessions and official interviews with suspects charged with murder, rape or a sex offense. Similar legislation has failed in the General Assembly during the past two sessions, but a Senate committee Thursday pressed opponents to justify rationale against recording.