Update:
Best Practices for an Effective Police Evidence Room
2/28/2022
A key consideration for any lab dealing with criminal investigations includes proper evidence room storage. Without storing properly, you can contaminate the evidence, causing a mistrial and could even expose lab members to hazardous biological materials. To avoid improper storing, we have outlined five essential best practices for police evidence rooms.
#1 Keep your facility secure.
In order to maintain safe storage of property and evidence, it is required that the evidence room is secure. A few ways to maintain a secure room include:
- Use access card controls
- Document all entries into the room
- Implement access controls for after-hours
- Operate 24/7 alarms and surveillance cameras
- Extra secure areas for high-risk items
The best way to keep evidence secure is through evidence lockers. Evidence lockers can give your evidence room ultimate security. With a multipoint deadbolt locking system, double-walled, welded doors and anti-pry tabs provide assurance that evidence will not be compromised.
#2 Sufficiently train all personnel with access to the evidence room.
For safe preservation and timely and legal disposal of evidence, and for integrity of chain-of-custody, proper staffing is paramount for evidence rooms. This is why specialized training is so important. The training should include the following:
- Protocols and legal requirements for all aspects of handling evidence
- Safety training for handling biohazards, hazardous materials, and firearms
Decreasing the number of people allowed access to these secure storage areas is best, as the more people have access, the greater the risk of errors in tracking or theft of items. This will also decrease the amount of people that need training and who may be in the chain of custody for evidence, and decrease the amount of access code changes.
Sufficient training can be a challenge, but evidence lockers make it a step easier to not only train personnel, but to limit the risk of errors or theft. Depositing evidence into evidence lockers is simple and efficient with our keyless, push-button lock system.
#3 Develop and implement an evidence room procedural manual.
Law enforcement agencies must develop, adopt, and implement policies and procedures of proper handling and disposition of property and evidence. Without set procedures, there is no telling how well evidence is being handled. Procedures must include the following:
- Describe procedures as they are intended to be performed
- Indicate who performs which procedures
- Explains the purpose and design of control-related procedures
Effective procedural manuals provide guidance for employees, establish responsibilities, improve efficiency, and maintain consistency in procedures.
#4 Prioritize organization of evidence inventories.
A disorganized and overcrowded evidence room leads to potential loss, damage, or contamination of evidence. To help avoid these problems, you can both dispose of evidence in a legal and timely manner, and organize evidence effectively using evidence lockers.
The tracking of legal proceedings and legal requirements allow for the regular review of when final disposition can occur. The retention schedule for documents adopted by the agency’s city, county, or town may provide guidance for the retention of the physical property and evidence that corresponds to the documents.
To avoid a messy evidence room, evidence lockers keep inventories organized and orderly, and safe. Our standard 82″ height evidence lockers offer maximum storage capacity. We have multiple door sizes and configurations for ultimate customization for required needs.
#5 Review and audit evidence room procedures.
To be sure policies and procedures are being followed, conduct regular reviews and audits. Reviews and audits can include unannounced inspections by management, internal reviews conducted by other internal agency personnel, and peer reviews by outside non-law enforcement entities. This protects the integrity of evidence and strengthens the effectiveness of procedures.
All law enforcement agencies should consider implementing peer review. A peer review entails members of other law enforcement agencies looking at your agency’s operation. This can confirm consistency in implementation of all policies and procedures and can help to identify any weaknesses in the system.
Overall, proper evidence room storage is paramount to the success of criminal investigations. An effective evidence room lessens the risk of contaminating evidence, losing evidence, and keeps employees safe. These five best practices were referenced using IAPE’s Manuals and Guides to assist evidence technicians with daily evidence management tasks.
To learn more about evidence room storage and the capabilities of our evidence lockers, contact Midwest Storage Solutions today!