Is the Expert Witness Really Qualified?
An expert witness is only helpful to the jury if he indeed possesses some type of unique knowledge-some expertise- that is beyond the common knowledge of jurors. The party offering the expert witness bears the burden of establishing his expertise and, in opposing such testimony, an effective level of inquiry must closely examine the qualifications of the expert. An expert witness’s qualifications may be based on academic credentials, specialized training, and particularized experience in a discrete field or profession. Typically, police practices experts rely heavily on their law enforcement experience by which to establish themselves as experts. Such experience is not regulated or influenced by intellectual or academic rigor, nor are there widely accepted professional standards against which to measure an expert. The party offering the police practices expert must establish that the witness’s training and experience qualify him or her to offer opinions within his or her field of exper
