How Evidence Lockers Benefit from Digital Labels

Did you know that there has been a report highlighting poor evidence management as a critical factor that hinders post-conviction testing? Evidence lockers and evidence management play a key role in the justice and legal systems. With justice and actual lives on the line, it’s important for government agencies and local law enforcement to find ways to strengthen their evidence management. So how can evidence lockers be improved? Can digital labels bring notable benefits to them?

An evidence locker, or evidence storage, is a secure storage facility used by law enforcement agencies and legal authorities to store and preserve items or materials that are considered evidence in criminal investigations, legal proceedings, or any other forensic cases. This can include a wide range of items, such as weapons, drugs, documents, clothing, or any other object that may be relevant to a crime or an investigation.

Maintaining the integrity and security of evidence is crucial to ensuring its admissibility in court. Therefore, evidence lockers are designed to prevent tampering, contamination, or loss of items that may be used in legal proceedings. Access to these lockers is typically restricted to authorized personnel, and there are often strict protocols and security measures in place to document the chain of custody for each piece of evidence.

The use of these evidence lockers helps to maintain transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system by ensuring that evidence is handled and stored in a controlled and secure manner throughout the investigative and legal processes.

Various government agencies involved in law enforcement and criminal justice use evidence lockers in their premises. Some of the key agencies that use evidence lockers include:

• Police Departments: Local, state, and federal police departments use evidence lockers to store items collected during criminal investigations.
• Sheriff's Offices: Similar to police departments, sheriff's offices at various levels of government use evidence lockers for secure storage of evidence.
• Federal Agencies: Agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) utilize evidence lockers for federal investigations.
• Crime Laboratories: Agencies responsible for forensic analysis often have their own evidence storage facilities to maintain the integrity of samples and materials used in forensic examinations.
• Prosecutor's Offices: Legal authorities, including district attorney offices and federal prosecutors, may have evidence lockers to store items relevant to ongoing or potential legal cases.
• Customs and Border Protection: Agencies involved in border security and customs enforcement use evidence lockers to store items seized during inspections.
• Corrections/Prison Facilities: Evidence related to crimes committed within correctional facilities may be stored in evidence lockers.
• Specialized Units: Specialized law enforcement units, such as those focused on narcotics, cybercrime, or organized crime, may also use evidence lockers to secure materials pertinent to their investigations.

Storing and managing evidence comes with a lot of challenges, of course. It’s a complex process and part of something bigger, ensuring that the real criminals are prosecuted and innocent ones are found not guilty. Maintaining the integrity and security of evidence becomes even more crucial.

Here are the common challenges in evidence management:

1. Chain of Custody: Ensuring a secure and documented chain of custody from the moment evidence is collected to its presentation in court is crucial. Breaks and inaccuracies in this chain can lead to evidence being deemed inadmissible.
2. Digital evidence: The rise of digital evidence such as videos, images, and other formats can become complicated. Some might need to be transferred or transformed into traditional formats so they can be handled and secured easily.
3. Evidence Storage Space: Limited storage space can be a significant challenge, especially for agencies dealing with a high volume of cases. Adequate space is needed to organize and store evidence securely.
4. Technology Integration: Implementing and managing technology for evidence-tracking and management systems can be challenging. Compatibility issues, training requirements, and system updates may pose difficulties.
5. Personnel Training and Defining Roles: Properly training personnel on evidence-handling protocols is essential. Inadequate training can lead to errors, mishandling of evidence, or failure to follow established procedures. Defining roles clearly is also key to making sure the custodians, evidence technicians, and other personnel know their responsibilities and priorities.
6. Evidence Backlogs: Some agencies may face backlogs in processing and managing evidence due to resource constraints, increasing caseloads, or other factors. This can impact the efficiency of investigations and court proceedings.
7. Evidence Contamination: Preventing contamination of evidence is crucial. Improper handling or storage conditions may compromise the integrity of the evidence, making it less reliable and inadmissible in court.
8. Data Security: With the increasing use of digital evidence, ensuring the security of electronic data is vital. Protecting against unauthorized access, cyber threats, or data loss is a continuous challenge.
9. Legal Compliance: Staying abreast of changes in laws and regulations related to evidence management is important. Failure to comply with legal standards can result in the exclusion of evidence from legal proceedings.
10. Collaboration with Other Agencies: Coordinating evidence sharing and management between different law enforcement agencies or jurisdictions can be challenging due to differing procedures, technologies, and communication protocols.
11. Obsolete Technology: Some agencies may still rely on outdated or manual evidence management systems or traditional paper labeling. This might make it difficult to keep up with the demands of modern investigations and the fast-paced world.

The use of evidence lockers is part of a broader effort to maintain the chain of custody, ensure the integrity of evidence, and comply with legal standards when handling materials related to criminal investigations and legal proceedings. In simple words, it’s a key part of the criminal justice system. The effective handling, storage, and documentation of evidence are essential to ensuring the fairness, accuracy, and integrity of these items in the legal system.

Here are a few key reasons why evidence management is considered critical:

• Legal Admissibility: Proper evidence management is necessary to maintain the legal admissibility of evidence in court. Courts require a well-documented chain of custody, showing that the evidence has been handled securely and without tampering from the time of collection to its presentation in court.
• Preservation of Integrity: Maintaining the integrity of evidence is fundamental to its reliability. Any compromise in the integrity of evidence, whether through contamination, mishandling, or other factors, can jeopardize the credibility of the evidence and the entire investigation.
• Fairness and Due Process: Proper evidence management is essential to upholding the principles of fairness and due process in the legal system. Allowing both the prosecution and defense access to the same evidence ensures a level playing field during legal proceedings.
• Building a Strong Case: The quality of evidence is crucial in building a strong case. Well-managed evidence, including physical items and digital materials, can provide a solid foundation for investigations and prosecutions. This contributes to the successful resolution of cases.
• Public Confidence: Effective evidence management contributes to public confidence in the criminal justice system. When the public perceives that evidence is handled with care, professionalism, and transparency, it enhances trust in law enforcement and the legal process.
• Crime Prevention and Deterrence: Properly managed evidence can aid in the identification and apprehension of suspects. This potentially prevents further criminal activity. The knowledge that evidence is handled meticulously may also serve as a deterrent to individuals contemplating illegal or suspicious activities.
• Accountability and Oversight: Evidence management systems often include mechanisms for accountability and oversight. This helps ensure that law enforcement agencies follow established protocols and adhere to legal standards, reducing the risk of misconduct or corruption.
• Efficiency in Investigations: Organized and efficient evidence management systems streamline the investigative process. Investigators can access and analyze evidence more effectively, leading to quicker resolution of cases.
• Compliance with Legal Standards: Compliance with legal standards and regulations is essential to avoid challenges to the admissibility of evidence in court. Proper evidence management helps law enforcement agencies meet these standards and demonstrate their commitment to upholding the law.
• Protection of Rights: Adhering to proper evidence management practices helps protect the constitutional rights of individuals involved in criminal investigations. This includes the right to a fair trial and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Implementation of modern solutions can ultimately enhance evidence management. Evidence lockers can benefit from digital labels and can be a strategic move by agencies to streamline and secure evidence management.

Digital labels, when integrated into the overall evidence management systems, can significantly enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of the evidence management process. SOLUM Newton LITE, for example, can be transformed into evident locker solutions. They are compact yet powerful, equipped with breakneck update speed, 7-color LED, NFC capability, a digital management system, and more. These will help agencies and professionals maintain accurate and efficient evidence storage.

Here are several ways digital labels can improve evidence management:

1. Centralization

Using digital labels will help agencies centralize operations. This is because digital labels like SOLUM come with a digital platform that will allow users to overlook all digital labels and lockers in their vicinity. Users will be able to modify and update labels based on the evidence, the crimes or cases, and other legal proceedings.

Centralization also frees up backlogs and helps reduce resource constraints. This will improve how agencies and legal professionals handle and secure evidence. Digital labels and their platform will ease the evidence management process—from the acquisition to the inventory to the indexing, the custodianship, analysis, legal presentation, and disposal.

2. Improve Storage Search with LBS

Digital labels like SOLUM are equipped with LBS, or Location Based Service. This means that government agencies and professionals can use LBS to improve their storage searches. SOLUM Newton labels can provide real-time geo-data, allowing users to find specific items in the evidence locker for various investigations. They can also use this to plan routes of maximum efficiency for specific or large-scale tasks and processes for the agency.

3. Update Chain of Custody in Real-time

And because using digital labels means using a centralized system, this also means agencies, custodians, or evidence technicians will be able to update the chain of custody in real time. No more manual errors, no more oversight, no more resource constraints, and no more backlogs. The chain of custody can easily be updated—strengthening the accuracy and integrity of any evidence needed for legal proceedings and investigations.

4. Signal Status with LED Indicator

SOLUM Newton LITE is also equipped with a 7-color LED indicator. This LED indication system can be configured by the user and utilized in a way that will enhance evidence lockers and evidence management. These LED indicators can help signal newly acquired evidence, evidence for analysis and investigation, evidence for indexing or documentation, evidence for disposal, and more. This helps authorized personnel streamline their tasks, while also strengthening the accuracy of the whole inventory. This also helps maintain the integrity of the evidence and shows that it is being handled properly on the premises.

5. Centralize refrigerated evidence locker with Newton Freezer

For refrigerated evidence lockers storing biological samples such as blood, urine, and other bodily fluids, as well as DNA samples, digital labels can also be a significant improvement. SOLUM has a digital label variation made specifically for cold storage and freezer environments. The Newton Freezer label operates at temperatures ranging from -25°C to 0°C, making it ideal for extremely cold environments and items.

Newton Freezer can help agencies centralize evidence management for these refrigerated evidence lockers. They can also help store and secure such critical, biological evidence, as well as substances like drugs or volatile chemicals that may degrade at room temperature. Personnel can easily check inventory, check status, update chains of custody, and more.

6. Efficient Auditing and Data Analytics

SOLUM digital labels simplify the auditing process by providing a digital trail of the entire lifecycle of evidence. Auditors can quickly review the chain of custody, status changes, and other relevant information, enhancing accountability and transparency.

These digital labels also enable the collection of metadata and other relevant information about evidence items. This data can be leveraged for analytics purposes, providing insights into trends, case patterns, and overall system performance.

7. Reduction of Paperwork and Manual Labor

The adoption of digital labels can lead to a significant reduction in the paperwork associated with evidence management. Since labels like SOLUM Newton LITE have batteries that can last up to five years, agencies don’t have to worry about consuming tons of paper when it comes to evidence locker management. This not only saves time but also contributes to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to record-keeping.

This also means that manual labor is reduced. For agencies or premises with limited or minimal staff, they will still be able to properly manage evidence. SOLUM digital labels and the digital platform will help personnel oversee and perform tasks without the need for a lot of people.

Need to enhance evidence management at your site? SOLUM digital labels are here for you. Talk to SOLUM experts and get started on your digital label solution for evidence locker management.