Evidence Control / Lost and Found

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FOX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Effective Date
01-01-2008
Policy Number
Policy 9-3
Reevaluation Date
2011
No. of Pages
8
Subject
EVIDENCE CONTROL/LOST AND FOUND
Special Instructions:
New Policy

  1. PURPOSE

    The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for maintaining the integrity of the evidentiary chain of custody. Our procedures are based on Wisconsin Crime Lab guidelines.

  2. POLICY

    It is the policy of the Fox City Police Department to ensure that evidence in our custody is properly secured and stored, readily retrievable, and that any changes in evidence custody have been properly and fully documented.

  3. DEFINITIONS

  4. Evidence Clerk:
    Department employee responsible for controlling and maintaining all evidence accepted and stored in the department’s evidence room.
  5. PROCEDURES

    1. General Key Points

      1. Wear protective gloves when handling evidence. A mask is highly recommended when working in the drying room. Be sure to document protective gear in your paperwork.

      2. Document all the evidence seen at the crime in your officer narrative.

      3. Use a locker consistent with the size of the evidence.

      4. A locker key must be deposited in the key drop slot in the Evidence room. The drying room and the security garage also have key drop slots.

      5. Recovered stolen property must be submitted into evidence and not in Lost and Found.

      6. Same types of evidence should have separate packages. All packaged evidence must have an evidence tag on each package.

      7. Hit and run evidence should be placed into evidence.

      8. Unless you have supervisor approval, absolutely no lost and found items are to be placed in the garage or the security garage.

      9. Latent print lift cards are evidence and must be packaged and submitted as evidence.

      10. If you receive notice from an evidence clerk about an error in your evidence submittal, you have five working days or less to correct the error and make note of the correction in your details and with an evidence clerk.

      11. Don’t seal wet or moist items in plastic. If you can see moisture, the item needs to be dried. See paragraph on the drying room.

      12. Arson evidence must be packaged in metal cans that are located in Evidence.

      13. Although THC is biological, if it is dry, seal THC in plastic to contain its odor.

      14. Evidence that contains DNA must be checked as “DNA” on the evidence form.

      15. All evidence must have initials and the date across the seal.

      16. Clothing, fabrics, and porous material with possible DNA evidence must be packaged in paper only. Used condoms are sealed in a glass jar and maintained in a frozen state.


    3. General Packing Instructions

      1. Most items collected can be packaged in one of the following ways. In most cases, the officer can choose which method to use to package an item, but size and the presence of moisture may determine how to package an item.

      2. Plastic sleeve/Zip-lock bag (heat-sealed sleeves are preferred over Zip-lock bags)
        1. Select an appropriate size sleeve or Zip-lock bag.
        2. Place the item into the sleeve. Heat-seal the sleeve. Write initials and date over the seal or;
        3. Seal the Zip-lock bag with evidence tape. Initial and date the sealed bag.
        4. Place a barcode evidence tag on the bag(s).
        5. Place the item in a locker and indicate the locker number in our database system.
        6. You can seal multiple exhibits into a continuous sleeve with a heat seal between each exhibit. See specific steps posted in Evidence.


      4. Paper bag (best if minimal amount of moisture is present)
        1. Select the proper size bag.
        2. Place the item in the bag.
        3. Do not staple the bag.
        4. Use evidence tape to seal the bag.
        5. Initial and date the seal.
        6. Place a barcode evidence tag on the bag.
        7. Place the item into an evidence locker and indicate the locker number in our database.


      6. Brown wrapping paper (for large/bulky items)
        1. Place item in the middle of the paper and try to completely cover the item with the paper.
        2. Seal the paper around the items with evidence tape.
        3. Initial and date the seal.
        4. Place a barcode evidence tag on the outside of the paper wrapped item.
        5. Place the item in a locker in evidence, security garage, or Quincy storage, and indicate the evidence location in our database system.


    5. Bucall Swabs

      1. If a suspect signs a Consent to Search form or there is a warrant demanding the collection of DNA evidence, follow the collection procedures as listed in each Bucall Swab kit.

      2. Bucall Swab kits are located in the Detective Division and in the crime scene truck.

      3. Place the swab into evidence.

      4. Enter the Bucall Swab kit in the original manila envelope. Do not place inside plastic or paper bag. Evidence tag can be placed on the envelope and the envelope can be sealed and initialed and dated.



    7. Gunshot Residue

      1. Gunshot residue kits are located in the Detective Division.

      2. Follow the procedures as listed in the gunshot residue kits.



    9. Interview/Interrogation CDs/DVDs

      1. Do not use a marker on the CD/DVD face.

      2. Place the CD/DVD into a CD/DVD labeled envelope.

      3. Seal the envelope. Initial and date the seal.

      4. Place the barcode evidence tag on the upper left corner of the envelope.

      5. Place the CD/DVD in the locker marked for CDs/DVDs. This is locker #151.

      6. Indicate the locker number on the evidence form.



    11. Money

      1. Found money requires a case report.

      2. Found money needs to go into a “money envelope” but can be placed into an evidence locker as lost and found.

      3. Money as evidence to a crime must be packaged separately to other evidence.

      4. Cash and coin must be placed in money envelopes.

      5. A witness to the amount must be present when the money is placed into the envelope; the witness signs the money envelope.

      6. The money envelope must have its own exhibit number.

      7. The money envelope is sealed with evidence tape.

      8. Initial and date the seal.

      9. Any money not submitted in a money envelope will not be accepted into Evidence. Money will be maintained in a locker and a supervisor called to verify the amount prior to contacting the person who entered the cash into the locker inappropriately.



    13. S.A.N.E. Kit

      1. Once the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner kit is ready for pickup from the S.A.N.E. nurse at a hospital, an officer will be sent to the hospital to collect the kit.

      2. Go over the collected material in the kit with the S.A.N.E. nurse.

      3. Initial and sign the Chain of Evidence form with the nurse.

      4. Ask the S.A.N.E. nurse if the collected evidence is dry. If any of the evidence still needs to be dried, it can be dried in a mid-size locker in the Evidence room.

      5. Lay down brown wrapping paper on the bottom of the locker before placing any evidence in the locker. Keep any swabs that need to be dried in the swab’s envelope but make sure the envelope is open so air can get to it.

      6. Affix an evidence tag to the box for the S.A.N.E kit. If the evidence needs to be dried in the locker, do not seal the box with evidence tape. If all evidence is dry, seal the kit, but in most cases, swabs will have to be dried in the locker.

      7. Ensure there is a biohazard sticker on the S.A.N.E. kit box.

      8. Place a “Biohazard” card on the far end of the locker and face it away from you so when an evidence clerk opens the locker from the other side, he/she will see it.



    15. Weapons

      1. All weapons must be placed into Evidence, never into lost and found.

      2. All firearms must be unloaded and ammunition packaged separately. Be sure to document this in your details. Document the serial number and model number on the evidence form.

      3. Guns and knives must be packaged using a white cardboard folding box located in Evidence. Knives can be placed in a tube provided in the Evidence submittal room.

      4. Items must be secured to the box using locking ties. (Note: If the gun or knife is to be checked for prints, avoid handling as much as possible. You may leave the item unsecured to the box in these situations only.)

      5. Seal and then initial and date the box.

      6. Complete an ATF National Tracing Center Trace Request form and enter it with the weapon. Complete the “Importer” and “Country of Origin” field if manufactured outside the USA. Document in your details that you filled out the Trace form. The evidence clerks will fax the form to the ATF. The evidence clerks will forward the original Trace form to records along with the tracing results when they receive them from the ATF.



    17. Sharps

      1. Any items with sharp edges, i.e.; knives, scissors, razor blades, needles, etc, MUST be packaged in such a way as to protect any possible exposure to the blade, edge, or point.

      2. Sharps containers are provided in the Evidence submittal room. Knives, scissors, and sharp bladed items can be placed into the cardboard boxes or the tubes provided. Razor blades can be placed into small plastic containers, glass jars, or Petri dishes. Needles can be placed into needle containers.

      3. If items have biohazard material on them, they must be marked with a “Biohazard” sticker.

      4. A large assortment of containers is provided to protect all people involved in the handling of harmful items.



    19. Drying Room

      1. Evidence that is wet or damp cannot be placed into evidence without being dried first.

      2. The drying room is located on the second floor of the police department.

      3. The key for the drying room can be retrieved from the shift commander.

      4. Items are hung on a line in one of the areas of the drying room. Ensure there is a new line put in place before hanging items.

      5. Make sure you cover the floor with brown paper.

      6. Follow the specific steps for placing items in the drying room as listed in the drying room.

      7. If the case is assigned to a detective, the detective will place the dried items into a regular evidence locker. If the case is not assigned to a detective, the officer who placed the items into the drying room will need to place the dried items into a regular evidence locker.

      8. Cut down the clothesline and submit as a separate exhibit only if the line may also contain evidence.

      9. The paper on the floor needs to be submitted as a separate exhibit if it may contain evidence that dripped on the paper



This policy is for internal use only and does not enlarge an officer’s civil or criminal liability in any way. It should not be construed as the creation of a higher standard of safety or care in an evidentiary sense, with respect to third party claims. Violations of this policy, if proven, can only form the basis of a complaint by this department, and then only in a non-judicial administrative setting.