Research has established that eyewitnesses make mistakes, and this fact, along with other significant factors, plays a role in erroneous convictions. The relationship between eyewitness mistakes and erroneous convictions, along with decades of research on factors related to eyewitness mistakes, has focused attention on the methods police use to collect eyewitness evidence. Studies have identified specific procedures that can improve the collection of this evidence and have spawned reforms. Among the most controversial reforms is the call for police to use sequential methods of presenting photos (i.e., showing one photo at a time). After many years of research suggesting that the sequential method protects against the identification of innocent people, recent research findings and interpretations of evidence cast doubt about whether the sequential method is superior. In 2010, Houston, Texas, Police Department (HPD) leaders began exploring options for testing different methods of administering photo spreads with the goal of identifying best practices that could be put into policy.