Opinion ID: 1060830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: introduction of telephone records

Text: At trial, an AT & T telephone bill was introduced into evidence through Thomas Harris. He testified that the bill reflected phone calls made from his trailer in the Leatherwood area on June 19, 1988. The bill itself showed that three long distance calls were made to a phone number in Springtown, Texas. Mr. Harris testified that he did not place the calls. Later, Jerry Henderson, the records custodian for GTE telephone company in Dallas, Texas, testified that the phone number had been listed in the name of Bryan Quintero at the time of the calls. Appellant Quintero argues that the initial recitation from Mr. Harris' AT & T telephone bill was hearsay and constituted a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses. He further argues that the evidence did not bear its own indicia of reliability, and therefore the state was required to secure the presence of the custodian of records for AT & T. We disagree. In State v. Meeks, 867 S.W.2d 361 (Tenn.Crim.App.1993), this Court held that computer generated records are not hearsay: The role that the hearsay rule plays in limiting the fact finder's consideration to reliable evidence received from witnesses who are under oath and subject to cross-examination has no application to the computer generated record in this case. Instead, the admissibility of the computer tracing system record should be measured by the reliability of the system, itself, relative to its proper functioning and accuracy. See, e.g., Penny v. Commonwealth, 6 Va.App. 494, 370 S.E.2d 314, 316-317 (1988); People v. Holowko, 109 Ill.2d 187, 93 Ill.Dec. 344, 346, 486 N.E.2d 877, 879 (1985). In this case, the record reflects that persons with special knowledge about the operation of the computer system gave evidence about the accuracy and reliability of the computer tracing so as to justify the admission of the computer printouts. The rule against hearsay is not implicated. Id. at 376. In Meeks , persons with special knowledge about the operation of the computer system testified as to the system's accuracy and reliability. Here, the state did not present the testimony of an AT & T records custodian, but there was testimony from Mr. Henderson, an employee from the Texas phone company. He testified that AT & T's billing system is highly reliable and that all local phone companies doing business with AT & T have the exact same billing system. Mr. Henderson testified extensively, and we find that his testimony was sufficient to confirm the reliability of the telephone bill under Meeks .