It’s easy to assume that law enforcement agencies are jam-packed with high-energy action, but behind the scenes, critical functions like evidence management make up the bulk of the work. Your department’s ability to manage evidence efficiently can impact daily investigative operations, making it a necessity to implement advanced solutions to help improve the process.
Evidence custodians are law enforcement officers specially entrusted with guaranteeing a proper chain of custody for all pieces of evidence. Therefore, they take the lead when it comes to overseeing the evidence inventory.
What Are the Essential Functions of an Evidence Custodian?
Seeing the pivotal roles they play in handling seized evidence and property, evidence custodians need to fulfill the following responsibilities:
• Receive, record, organize, and secure evidence or surrendered property
• Analyze the evidence and mark every item accordingly with its relevant laws and department policy
• Sort, secure, and deliver evidence to the laboratory and other relevant departments for further evaluation
• Maintain the critical chain of evidence, preserve the integrity of the evidence room, and testify when subpoenaed
• Ensure the accuracy of all records of property transfers, releases, and more
• Develop photographs and process evidence
• Authenticate NCIC listings of stolen property
• Communicate with different departments and the general public regarding evidentiary procedures using the suitable channels
• Assist in gathering evidence
The workflow can be tedious considering the amount of paperwork for every case. This means police agencies need to consider increasing the productivity in evidence management to simplify the process and minimize human error.
Who Can Become an Evidence Custodian?
Although many departments prefer that their evidence custodians be members of law enforcement, that’s not always the case. Some departments allow civilian evidence technicians to move into the roles of custodians. The level of education required can also vary from department to department, with some departments requiring candidates to have a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement, with others accepting candidates with a high school diploma.
To increase their chances of getting the position, potential candidates should gain experience in the relevant field, and must pass the criminal history background check and drug test. For those with a high school diploma, attending a seminar, workshop, and other activities that boost your experience in the related field can increase your chances of becoming an evidence custodian.
Understanding What Becoming an Evidence Custodian Entails
Evidence custodians play a pivotal role in authenticating the legitimacy of forensic evidence. Without them, the industry is at risk of using mishandled or damaged evidence, which can compromise a criminal case in destructive ways.
Seeing the importance of an evidence custodian, it’s worth implementing automated tools and software that can improve the practices for evidence management and foster better efficiency throughout the process.
How PMI Evidence Tracker™ Can Help
Managing evidence and property can be a time-consuming process for officers—that’s why our technology is designed by Cops for Cops for an intuitive user experience that saves time. Our evidence management system helps you track your evidence inventory efficiently and optimize your workflow. Take the drudgery out of managing evidence and boost the productivity of your custodians by getting in touch with us today!
