Property and evidence other than money and valuables shall always be stored in securely locked areas by the station/unit property custodian. Keys to property storage areas shall be the responsibility of the watch commander. The station/unit property custodian shall have one set of keys to property storage locations and shall give the keys to the watch commander in a sealed envelope to be held in the safe at the end of the property custodian's duty shift. No other person shall have, or shall have access to, the key to any property storage area with the following exceptions:
- When a station/unit property custodian is not on duty, the on-duty watch sergeant shall be permitted to have a key and shall be responsible for opening and placing property into the interim storage area/locker. Such transfers into/out of the interim storage area/locker shall be recorded in PRELIMS. The watch sergeant shall obtain the key to the interim storage area/locker from the watch commander and return it at the end of each shift. The watch sergeant shall be responsible for the interim storage area/locker and shall promptly relock it as soon as incoming property has been placed therein. No other person shall have access to the key;
- The watch commander of a shift on which a station/unit property custodian is not on duty shall personally withdraw property from the main storage room for court, Scientific Services Bureau or for return to the owner. Such transfers into/out of the main storage room shall be recorded in PRELIMS. No other person shall be permitted access to the storage room.
When the watch commander and/or watch sergeant places or removes evidence or property into/from the interim storage area or other storage locations or to the custody of an individual, he/she shall be responsible for updating PRELIMS to reflect the current location of the items. This is necessary to maintain the chain of custody of the property/evidence items.