According to Wikipedia, "chain of custody refers to the chronological documentation, and/or paper trail, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence, physical or electronic." In other words, chain of custody is a record of who had possession of an item at any given time, how they obtained it, what they did with it, and how they disposed of or transferred it. Establishing chain of custody for evidence in court cases is critical for demonstrating that a particular piece of evidence is indeed associated with a specific incident, and that the item in question has not been tampered with or tainted in any manner.
Proper documentation of the chain of custody with property and evidence is vital to investigators, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants and the public at large because such evidence is often decisive in determining guilt or innocence.
To properly manage this vital function, many law enforcement agencies utilize property and evidence records management systems. The most useful systems are those which track all items—paper documents, physical objects, and electronic files—throughout the chain of custody, from initial collection at a crime scene through transportation, analysis, property room storage and finally to court. This helps to prevent evidence from being lost or damaged and assure that right evidence is associated with the right case. These systems also manage the eventual disposition of evidence through return to the original owner, sale or destruction.
Records management systems often utilize bar code tracking, similar to goods in a supermarket. Each paper document or physical item is tagged with a bar code label that allows evidence clerks, police officers, lab technicians and others to scan items into and out of their possession as evidence is removed from storage, transported, examined and returned to the property room. In addition, various forms of "digital signatures" may be used to prove who was in possession of a piece of evidence at any given time.
In summary, systems that assist in managing and documenting the chain of custody of evidence help assure that:
The term chain of custody is sometimes used outside the context of evidence for judicial proceedings, in areas such as drug testing (assuring that samples are properly matched to individuals and not altered or contaminated); produce, meat, dairy and forestry products (for example, to verify the original source or certify food as organic); election ballots (to prevent vote fraud); and hazardous materials. However, the term is most commonly associated with property and evidence in a law enforcement context.
Additional Resources
Law Enforcement Records Management Systems -- The Foundation for an Effective and Complete P&E System, SmeadSoft whitepaper
Proper documentation of the chain of custody with property and evidence is vital to investigators, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants and the public at large because such evidence is often decisive in determining guilt or innocence.
To properly manage this vital function, many law enforcement agencies utilize property and evidence records management systems. The most useful systems are those which track all items—paper documents, physical objects, and electronic files—throughout the chain of custody, from initial collection at a crime scene through transportation, analysis, property room storage and finally to court. This helps to prevent evidence from being lost or damaged and assure that right evidence is associated with the right case. These systems also manage the eventual disposition of evidence through return to the original owner, sale or destruction.
Records management systems often utilize bar code tracking, similar to goods in a supermarket. Each paper document or physical item is tagged with a bar code label that allows evidence clerks, police officers, lab technicians and others to scan items into and out of their possession as evidence is removed from storage, transported, examined and returned to the property room. In addition, various forms of "digital signatures" may be used to prove who was in possession of a piece of evidence at any given time.
In summary, systems that assist in managing and documenting the chain of custody of evidence help assure that:
- evidence can be quickly located when needed;
- procedures for storing, handling, transporting and analyzing evidence comply with established rules and standards;
- evidence is not lost, associated with the wrong case, intentionally tampered with, tainted or inadvertently damaged; and
- property and evidence are properly disposed of once cases are decided.
The term chain of custody is sometimes used outside the context of evidence for judicial proceedings, in areas such as drug testing (assuring that samples are properly matched to individuals and not altered or contaminated); produce, meat, dairy and forestry products (for example, to verify the original source or certify food as organic); election ballots (to prevent vote fraud); and hazardous materials. However, the term is most commonly associated with property and evidence in a law enforcement context.
Additional Resources
Law Enforcement Records Management Systems -- The Foundation for an Effective and Complete P&E System, SmeadSoft whitepaper
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