Question of the Month???  

Ask Joe  

Q Dear Joe   

I was wondering if you can point me in the right direction for the following information? I have read Property and Evidence By the Book and I am particularly interested in temperature storage settings.   I have several questions:

First, is there a "standard" for temperature that an evidence room should be set at?

Second, is there a "standard" for temperature that a vault area, such as used for narcotics be set at? (my narcotics evidence is stored in plastic bags, then in manila envelopes and then in a bankers box in a vault)

I have been in many evidence rooms and they are usually cool. I am having issues with temperature control in my department and was hoping there has been some research  (none that we are aware of for drugs), as to what is the best temperature for rooms and vaults to be kept at, so there is no breakdown of evidence and cross contamination with other evidence

Thanks,

"New Property Officer" 

A Dear "New Property Officer"

Generally speaking, there are no known standards for evidence room temperatures and humidity levels. I have been in property rooms in the southeast where it was 100 degrees and 80% humidity in the summer. I have seen cargo containers in the southwest, where the temperature was well over 110 degrees with no humidity, and then it freezes in the winter. Newer, or remodeled property rooms are now generally air-conditioned and are considered to be room temperature controlled - between 60-75 degrees temperature with no more than 60% relative humidity.

Biological evidence has become a big concern within the forensic community, as it is believed by some that heat and humidity can cause degradation of the evidence over time. Biological storage is handled in many different ways. Some regions of the country freeze everything, some refrigerate, some only freeze or refrigerate items after they come back from the crime lab, some keep tested items at room temperature and some keep tested items in the cargo container behind the station.

High heat and humidity for drugs before they are tested at the crime lab may be an issue, but how it is stored after testing is generally considered less important. Check with you local crime lab for their recommendations. Temperature issues for general evidence (bikes, TV's, documents, etc.) are generally not a concern.  

When it come temperatures controls for drug storage, the only information that has been written that I am aware of has been around air quality, (IAPE Standards - Chapter 9), not temperature issues. Do not seal green marijuana in plastic within a hot or warm environment, as it can quickly degrade into a harmful toxic sludge.

Good news may be on the horizon. About 18 months ago, I.A.P.E. was invited by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) to assist in the development of national guidelines for the packaging, submission, storage, tracking and management of bio-evidence.

Hopefully the completed document will give law enforcement some guidance so that everyone has the most current information from a science and legal perspective.

Good Luck

Joe 

 NOW AVAILABLE

Property and Evidence 

By the Book 

 Available in hardback and CD   

Completely rewritten and over 100 pages more content than first edition. Everything you ever wanted to know about operating your property room  

Property and Evidence 

Forms By the Book

   Available on CD

Over 25 property room forms that can be modified by you, a property room professionals!. The forms are completely modifiable in Microsoft Word.  

The forms are also saved in a PDF format that provides the user the ability to fill in the boxes and use immediately.

ORDER HERE