Ask Joe!
Each month, IAPE's primary instructor, Joe Latta, answers one of your questions. Consider writing us if you have a question that needs an answer. We would love to hear from you.
To submit a question for Joe to answer here, use our Contact Us page.
Question:
Dear Joe,
We have received an influx of food products with high THC levels. Normal practice is not to accept food items, yet these are still considered drugs. What are agencies doing about these food products if they are receiving them?
Our chemist advises that there is no good way to package them. Obviously, plastic is a poor choice and paper bags are bad because the oil content will contaminate other items through the paper.
We are in the beginning stages of discussing with the State's Attorney the possibility to photograph, test, and immediately destroy these items (notice provided to the defense prior to its destruction) but I have been asked to see what the industry standard is.
Thanks
THC
Dear THC,
Many of you have attended our classes both live and online. Two things I've learned over the hundreds of classes that we have presented, is that when it comes to property and evidence issues, there are no absolute answers and that no one does it the same!
This is new territory for all involved, and frankly, I don't have the answer. Therefore, I reached out to several colleagues around the country to get their opinions. As noted above, there is no one right answer to this issue....
From a Lab Director in South Carolina
Joe,
Yes, this is now the world we live in. Ugh! The items referred to are indeed drugs, and we are testing them (e.g. butter, candy, fruit, garlic). Paper bags are not a good choice for the reason described below. Plastic is not necessarily bad, but should only be used for short-term storage. Currently there is no best practice standard - as this is new territory for everyone! I think the idea of photography (multiple shots with a scale), testing immediately, and then destruction is right on target. The courts should understand that food/beverages even if frozen may still be subject to degradation over time, and there is a likelihood that the retained material may bear little resemblance to the originally submitted evidence. I do recommend freezing prior to analysis and after (if the State's Attorney shoots down the proposal).....
From a Lab Director in California
Joe,
I had no idea what the answer was to this one, so I called our local Sheriff's Department. Here is what they are doing:
The Sheriff's Department is packaging all these types of items into plastic heat- sealed bags. They are aware this will cause the food/perishable to become soupy, but this is the best they have been able to do. With the heat sealed bags, it at least maintains the item in the packaging. They store the food at room temperature based on their storage issues. If they had the ability to refrigerate or freeze, they would. However, they simply do not have the storage space or funds to purchase enough equipment to store these items in this manner. On the shelf the items are placed in plastic storage tubs. This also helps to maintain the items in their packaging. If the item of evidence is similar in composition to a Rice Krispy treat, they will use plastic wrap and not a heat-sealing bag. I know this is not perfect, but this is the best they can do.
From a Lab in Virginia
Joe,
Packaging in plastic may be a bad idea for long-term storage because of mold. I would also caution against uniformly refrigerating food items as occasionally condensation can form inside the packaging and accelerate mold growth. When possible, freezing is probably the way to go.
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There you have it. Three geographical areas of the country and they all do something slightly different. The bottom line is how does the local Crime Lab that you use want it packaged? If they say plastic - you package it in plastic. If they say paper - you package it in paper.
Regards,
Joe Latta
Executive Director
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Headline Of The Month
Headlines You Want! Good Job!
The Trend Continues! A trend that impacts property room
The Future
In the past several years, seven states have mandated that all sexual kits are to be tested within certain time limits, with certain exceptions.
In the story below you will see that the Ohio House 84-0 and the Ohio Senate passed 32-0 bills that will mandate the testing of kits. Will the governor sign? You bet. The is no longer an event, its now a trend your state may be next! Be ready for someone asking you you have and how many haven't been tested.
Mandatory rape kit testing approved by Ohio House
December 17, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bill intended to clear a decades-long backlog of untested rape kits unanimously passed the Ohio House on Wednesday and will head to Gov. John Kasich's desk.
Under
Senate Bill 316, law enforcement agencies would be required to review all cases in their possession and forward untested rape kits to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation or other crime laboratory for DNA analysis within one year. Agencies would have to submit new rape kits to a crime lab within 30 days. The BCI must then put the DNA record into a national database.
The bill is intended to give law enforcement agencies a final push to get rape kits off their shelves. The bill does not change statutes of limitations preventing kits older than 20 years to initiate a new prosecution.Rep. Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat, urged support for the bill Wednesday night. "Going forward, we hope that justice is served quickly for the victims of sexual violence," Antonio said.
Katie Hanna, executive director of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, said the bill sends a message to sexual assault survivors that every kit counts and that justice may be possible. "Next year we hope to see a bill introduced to eliminate the statute of limitations on rape, so that when 20-plus year old kits are tested and perpetrators are identified, that cases can be prosecuted after the current 20 year statute," Hanna said in an email. "We owe that to survivors and to our communities."
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has pressed police departments to send untested rape and sexual assault examination kits to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation under his office.
In Cuyahoga County alone, more than 230 people have been indicted due to DNA matches from the statewide initiative. Cleveland has sent more than 4,300 kits for testing.
The bill, sponsored by Democrat Sen. Capri Cafaro of Hubbard, passed the Senate 32-0 and the House 84-0.
The House also passed a bill allowing a rape or sexual assault survivor to request the attacker's parental rights to children conceived by the assault be terminated. The legislation was inspired by Ariel Castro, who requested visitation with the child he fathered with Amanda Berry, one of three women he held captive and sexually assaulted in his home. The judge denied that request.
Senate Bill 207 was unanimously approved in an 86-0 vote and now heads to Kasich's desk.2014 cleveland.com. All rights reserved
Jackie Borchardt, Northeast Ohio Media Group
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Property & Evidence By the Book
2nd edition
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The only book of its kind. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Managing a Property and Evidence Room
ORDER NOWSpecial Prices For Members!
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Property & Evidence FORMS By the Book
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Over 25 property room forms that can be modified by you, the property room professionals!
PROPERTY AND EVIDENCEFORMS BY THE BOOK 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
Special Prices For Members !
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2015 Classes Posted
Las Vegas, NV
February 23 - 24, 2015 14 Seat Left
Sold Out Last 3 Years
Provo, UT
March 3 - 4, 2015
Fort Collins, CO
March 11 - 12, 2015
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March 24 - 25, 2015
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April 8 - 9 2015
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April 21 - 22, 2015
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Tampa, FL
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Nashville, TN
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July 14 - 15, 2015
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South San Francisco
August 18 - 19, 2015
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August 26 - 27, 2015
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September 8 - 9, 2015
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September 15 - 16, 2015
Tuscon, AZ
September 23-24, 2015
Lafayette, IN
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October 19 - 20, 2015
Portland, OR
November 3 - 4, 2015
Tilton, NH November 19 - 20, 2015
Burbank, CA
December, 2015
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Got a Job? Need a Job?
IAPE is delighted to announce that we have a new job site for posting a job announcement or checking possible job opportunities.
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Where in the World Is Joe Today?
Click the to find out where Joe is traveling and keep up to date with current property and evidence happenings
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Packaging Bullets
You can't make this stuff up! We recently received this photo from a property officer that wanted our readers to see on how an experienced officer booked in a bullet. One bullet - one finger!
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