Opinion ID: 773307
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Police Officer's Lay Opinion Testimony

Text: 27 The defendants also challenge the admission of the lay opinion testimony of Lieutenant Timothy Cavanaugh of the Omaha Police Department. A district court's decision to admit or exclude lay opinion testimony is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Wactor v. Spartan Transp. Corp., 27 F.3d 347, 350 (8th Cir. 1994). Although the trial court has broad discretion to admit lay opinions, that discretion may be exercised only after the court finds that the witness'[s] testimony is based upon his or her personal observation and recollection of concrete facts . . . , and that those facts cannot be described in sufficient detail to adequately convey to the jury the substance of the testimony. Wactor, 27 F.3d at 350 (internal quotations omitted). Lieutenant Cavanaugh testified about his first-hand observations of one of the robberies. He also gave his opinion, formed in the course of his investigation of one of the robberies, regarding the relationship among the four robberies. Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Lieutenant Cavanaugh's opinions that were drawn from his personal observations regarding the robberies. The court also properly admitted Lieutenant Cavanaugh's lay opinion regarding the similarities and possible relationship among the robberies. 1