What Are the Signs of Flawed Evidence Management?
With the advancement of technology, law enforcement agencies now have more access than ever to the best possible tools. One thing they must focus on is having the best digital evidence tracking and overall management system possible. Simply collecting and listing evidence is no longer enough. Justice needs to be served swiftly and correctly.
A key part of this is for evidence to be tracked well and handled correctly. This means having a system in place with a chain-of-command that’s downright bulletproof. Evidence managers and police officers alike have a crucial role in the justice system. It gives criminal cases an extra solid layer of integrity.
Why Is Evidence Tracking Software important?
Having this kind of technology, when used properly, will streamline and simplify both digital and physical evidence. More importantly, it will keep all of that secure. At the same time, both individuals and agencies will have a solid level of accountability throughout the life cycle of the evidence in question.
The evidence management dynamic has a push-pull ongoing within it. Many criminal cases generally require consistent interactions with evidence. Using a digital evidence tracking system will typically address this need, as both external stakeholders and internal personnel will require access at varying points. However, agencies will understandably feel the need for access to the evidence to be limited, leading to the agency’s visibility lowering considerably. When you combine a rather large selection of individual involvement with barely any visibility in an organization, that can lead to issues later on.
What Are the Signs of Flawed Evidence Management?
There have been quite a few cases over the years that can serve as an example of this. The San Francisco Chronicle released an article some years ago about a police officer who was nearly fired after it was discovered that he mishandled dozens of cases worth of evidence. He essentially misrepresented information about the case on hand, which involved illegal substances. The officer later admitted that he would hold off booking videos or photos on his phone until a property technician reminded him. Digital evidence tracking, in this case, would have found that the officer hadn’t booked these items almost immediately.
It’s crucial for law enforcement to have efficient systems to manage their evidence. Their efficacy is a great litmus test for the agency’s overall integrity to be understood well. When there are operations regarding evidence that are sustainable in place, measures with regards to accountability and compliance will be implemented properly. This way, the concerned parties can be sure that the evidence will be preserved, as well as the evidence’s specific location, for as long as the criminal cases are ongoing.
Effective Evidence Tracking Systems
The life cycle of evidence starts from the very second an item is collected. Depending on the situation at hand, some items remain for weeks at a time; others take years, if not forever. Flawed evidence management typically comes from human error, which can then tarnish the integrity of a case.
In need of digital evidence tracking solutions? Check out PMI Evidence Tracker today! We provide law enforcement agencies with affordable, flexible, and easy-to-use systems for managing evidence and property.
