Unit Order #13 - Property and Evidence

It is the policy of the Crescenta Valley Station that all Department Policy and Procedures with regards to evidence and property shall be adhered to.

The property custodian shall assume responsibility for the security and accountability of all property and evidence during day shift, Monday through Friday.  At all other times, the Watch Sergeant shall be responsible.  All deputies shall have the Watch Sergeant check all property or evidence to ensure compliance with proper procedures, prior to storing it in the evidence locker.  Keys to the interim evidence locker shall only be maintained by the Property Custodian or the Watch Sergeant.  The keys to the outside evidence locker will be maintained ONLY by the Property Custodian.  In the Property Custodians’s absence, the key shall be kept in the Watch Commander’s safe in a sealed envelope.

Three areas will be maintained for evidence:

            1.         Station Safe

            2.         Inside Evidence Locker

            3.         Outside Property Room

Security and control of the various areas will be maintained as follows:

STATION SAFE

The station safe is located in the Watch Commander’s Office, and it shall be the responsibility of the Watch Commander to enter or remove property from the safe.  Only the Watch Commander can authorize money or valuables, that are not part of a reportable incident, to be kept in the safe.

All property of great value, money, counterfeit money, jewelry, etc. which are brought to the station as a result of a reportable incident, will be booked into the station safe.  Prisoners’ money ($400.00 and over) will also be placed in the safe.

When any property is placed into or removed from the station safe, the appropriate entry shall be made in the Safe Ledger by the person entering or removing that property.

The safe combination is to be changed at regular intervals, especially when key personnel have been reassigned. Maximum time between combination changes shall be three years.

PROPERTY/EVIDENCE ROOMS

ALL incoming property or evidence shall be logged in the Master Property Control Ledger. Property/Evidence shall be placed in either the inside or outside property/evidence rooms for storage, depending on the size and/or type (i.e., hazardous material) of the item.

BICYCLE RACK

Keys to the outside bicycle rack will be maintained by the Property Custodian or the Watch Sergeant.  Bicycles held as found, recovered, or evidence shall be tagged as such, logged in the Master Property Control Ledger, and will be stored in the outside property room interim area.

NARCOTICS

All appropriate narcotic evidence shall be placed in the “Narcotics Bureau Evidence Envelopes”, SH-CR-433.  Arresting officers will seal the flap of the envelope by removing both of the white strips, folding the flap over and initialing the flap edge.  All existing narcotics evidence procedures shall be followed including the completion of the lab receipt and photo card.  All narcotic evidence will then be placed in the “Narco Mailbox” inside the inside evidence locker.  Paraphernalia will be placed on the counter in the inside evidence locker for the Property Custodian.  The only exception will be “PCP” or other dangerous narcotic chemicals, which shall be packaged per Department directives, and placed in the outside mailbox, which is outside the jail door.  All narcotics evidence will be entered into the Master Property Control Ledger in the Watch Sergeant’s office indicating the lab receipt number in the narrative of the entry.

RELEASE OF PROPERTY

1.         Property or evidence will only be released by the station Property Custodian, the assigned Detective or the Property Custodian’s designated relief. Exceptions to this rule shall be made by the Watch Commander only under the most extreme circumstances.

2.         Citizens inquiring about the release of property shall be referred to the assigned Detective or Property Custodian.

3.         The evidence keys shall not be released to anyone other than the Property    Custodian.

These procedures are necessary to ensure adequate tracking, control and accountability. Watch Commanders and Watch Sergeants will be held responsible for seeing that this directive is adhered to.

WRITING IN THE EVIDENCE BOOK

All entries made in the book are to be in ball point ink.  If a mistake is made, the entry can be lined out by one single line through the error, and writing in the right-hand side, “entered in error”, initialed, and countersigned by the Watch Sergeant.  A Sergeant will always sign for entries, even if they are mistakes.  A Sergeant is required to check  for properly filled out tags, properly packaged evidence and correct entries when signing the evidence log book.  All entries shall have complete descriptions, such as color, quantity, serial number, size, and if needed, suspect’s name.

FOUND PROPERTY

If a citizen finds property and wants to claim the property if the owner is not located, he or she needs to sign a “Receipt of Property” at the time the report is made.  The correct form is a SH-CR-213.  This is a full sheet and the finder MUST sign the back of this form in order to claim this property at the end of 90 days.  The half sheet property release form will not be accepted.

BULK PROPERTY

Bulk property should always be immediately tagged and placed in the evidence locker with a copy of the booking slip attached.

RELEASE OF PROPERTY

When property is released under any circumstances, there are certain forms that are required to be filled out and signed by the owner.  This applies to all property whether held for evidence, bulk, or safekeeping.  All property should go through the Property Custodian. Property taken out temporarily (e.g., to court) must be taken out on a Property Interim Removal Form.

TRANSPORTATION OF EVIDENCE

Personnel subpoenaed to court and needing evidence will obtain it from the Property Custodian or the station Narcotics office.  A property removal form will be prepared at this time.  Upon return to the station, either the evidence will be returned or the appropriate disposition will be logged into the Master Property Control Ledger.  If you have evidence that is kept by the court, you must return the Property Interim Removal Slip signed and STAMPED with the Court seal by the Court and give the form to the Property Custodian.

Note:   Evidence is sent to Central Property after 90 days.  Therefore, personnel requiring evidence for court should contact the Property Custodian prior to actually needing the item(s) in order to determine the location of the item(s), and have available on the day of the trial.