Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/109778
there is a complete inventory. The evidence and property room logs should be handled just as carefully as the evidence itself. Latta emphasized that inventory will only tell you what is there and not what is available for disposal. He said most departments do not do annual inventories and few have independent evidence inventories. The evidence inventory can take months and ���95 percent of administrators have never worked in an evidence room and have no idea about how it functions.��� There are huge amounts of sexual assault kits left untested that departments don���t even know they have, and offcers who worked the now cold cases retired years ago. There are items of clothing and other evidence that could be tested with today���s technology for biological evidence, but no one at the department knows the history of the case to even go to that box of evidence to test items. Laura Werner, Skokie Evidence Technician, uses file drawers intended to easily locate small items. (Photo courtesy of Bradford Systems) Trained & Competent Staff Steven Berdrow noted the importance of choosing professional staff for the evidence room, allocating sufficient man-hours to do the job, and providing appropriate training. ���One of the biggest problems with the evidence room is they are inadequately staffed. If the Chief goes to his city council and asks for three patrolmen and one evidence custodian, he will likely get the offcers but not his evidence custodian, because they are not seen as protecting public safety,��� Latta explained. According to Latta, those who do well with their evidence lockups often have someone with warehouse experience or from the military quartermaster corps who worked in supplies. Retaining consistent personnel in charge of evidence Kert Siemiawski, Skokie Evidence Technician, uses the new rolling and property controls the number of Space Saver evidence cabinets. (Photo courtesy of Bradford Systems) people having access to restricted areas, allows for a smaller number of employees to require training, reduces the number of people in the chain of custody, and reduces changes on the street. He said two-thirds of departments don���t have in keys or access codes. Training and policy and procedural any written procedures for the property room. manuals should be mandatory and certifcation helps to proRestricting access to the evidence room is easily accomplished fessionalize the job and looks good when evidence custodians with or without technology. Berdrow noted that active or smart testify in court. ID cards can allow an employee into only those areas where he Latta pointed out the practical need for a procedural man- needs access. He added, ���There is a lot of fancy technology out ual. One department had 300 rape kits left untested because there, but most of it is beyond the fnancial ability of most agenthe evidence custodian thought the detective was supposed to cies and, frankly, is not needed. If employees, supervisors, and request testing and the detectives thought that every rape kit administrators would take property and evidence and its secuthey submitted was automatically sent for testing. The lack of rity seriously, there would be no problem.��� Entry to evidence any written policy left kits untested and dangerous criminals rooms should also be observed by surveillance cameras. www.lawandordermag.com 51