It is important that you know the considerations of temporary evidence storage. Following the required
procedures will ensure that evidence is admissible into court. Therefore, in this lesson you will learn--
o
to determine the requirements for temporary evidence storage containers.
o
to determine the requirements and procedures for establishing temporary evidence storage security.
PART A - TEMPORARY EVIDENCE STORAGE CONTAINERS
Various types of containers may be used for the temporary storage of evidence. The type of container required
will depend on several factors. When deciding which type of container to use, consider the following:
o
Type of evidence.
o
Size of evidence.
o
Amount of evidence.
o
Physical location of CID or MP.
o
Time evidence is obtained.
FIELD SAFES OR SECURED FILE CABINETS
Field safes or secured file cabinets can be used as temporary evidence storage containers. Access to the safe or
file cabinet should be secured. Those personnel having access should be--
o
Duty agent.
o
MPI duty investigator.
o
MP desk sergeant.
A keyed padlock for these safes or file cabinets should be used. Do not use a combination padlock. See Figure 3-
1.
Remember to secure the keys to these storage containers. Place keys in a separate envelope. Place the keys in the
safe that contains combination numbers and other keys to padlocks to the evidence room. Make sure you label
the envelope so the next person who retrieves a key understands which lock it will open.
Try to have one evidence container for each person. Each duty individual should have their own container. This
limits the number of times that evidence will change custody. The number of containers used will depend on how
much and what kind of evidence is handled. This would apply during weekends and hours the evidence custodian
is off duty.
MP2002
3-2
Previous Page
