A show up should occur within approximately how many minutes after the crime has occurred?

• A. 5
• B. 10
• C. 20
• D. 60

Answer: (C)

Show ups are used to quickly identify a suspect while the witness’s memory of the crime is still fresh. Conducting the show up within about 20 minutes after the incident maximizes identification accuracy because details are most reliable soon after the event. Waiting longer allows memory to fade and become more susceptible to contamination from later information or cues, which increases the chance of misidentification. While aiming for a prompt encounter, 5 or 10 minutes can be impractical to locate a suspect, and 60 minutes is generally too long for a reliable identification. The roughly 20-minute window strikes a balance between practicality and memory reliability.