Evidence packaging
Evidence packaging involves the specialized packaging methods and materials used for physical evidence. Items need to be collected at a crime scene or a fire scene, forwarded to a laboratory for forensic analysis, put in secure storage, and used in a courtroom, all while maintaining the chain of custody. Items might include DNA, drugs, hair samples, body parts, blood samples, sperm, knives, vomit, firearms, bullets, fire accelerants, computers, checkbooks, etc.
Each police or fire jurisdiction has its own policies and procedures for evidence collection and handling.[1][2][3] Legal requirements for admissible evidence to a court also vary from region to region. Many commonalities do exist.
Physical containment and protection
Packaging should be the proper size, type, and material for the item.[4] Many items are suited to a clean paper bag sealed with a security tape. Many jurisdictions desire one item per container, but situations do vary. Clean zipper storage bags are also used: special security bags or “evidence bags” have built-in security and tamper-indicating features.
Knives are best suited to packing in corrugated boxes so the blade does not cut the package or people. Empty firearms are often attached to a corrugated box by cable ties.
Salvage drums are available in various sizes to contain potentially hazardous liquids.
When detection of fire accelerants is needed for evidence from a fire investigation, the package must be a vapor barrier. Sometimes a glass jar such as a mason jar is used. Heat sealable nylon plastic bags have also been shown to be effective.[5][6]
Contamination
Control is needed to prevent contamination of the evidence: investigators to the evidence, scene to scene, evidence to evidence, etc.[7]
Dangerous evidence
Particular care is needed when packaging material classified as dangerous goods (Hazardous materials) and with items possibly qualifying as hazardous waste or biomedical waste. This might include: drugs, explosives, loaded firearms, ammunition, etiologic agents, flammables, radioactives, etc.
Local specialists often transport items to a local laboratory for analysis or to an approved storage facility. When items are shipped (particularly by common carrier), strict regulations govern the construction, preparation, and labeling of shipping containers.
Identification
Individual packs and collections of items in a larger container need to be labeled: description, source, preliminary comments, special handling needs, etc.
Chain of custody labels with authenticated signatures are often required. Gaps in documented custody make submission to a court more difficult.
Security
The physical security of packaged items is critical. The items cannot be damaged or degraded in transit or storage. The risk of theft, pilferage, tampering, adulteration, etc. must be tightly controlled.
Packaging is not to be considered as "tamper proof"; it is only one component of an evidence management system. No one security feature can be considered as "tamper proof".[8] Most security products can be foiled by a knowledgeable person with sufficient time and with access to specialized tools, solvents, extreme temperatures, other security bags, other security tapes, etc.
See also
References
- ^ Handbook of Forensic Services, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013, retrieved Apr 11, 2019
- ^ Scenes of Crime Examination Best Practice Manual (PDF), ENSFI, retrieved 11 April 2019
- ^ Evidence Packaging: A How-To Guide (PDF), California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services, p. 32, retrieved Apr 11, 2019
- ^ Warrington, D (12 February 2013). "Properly Packaging Evidence". Forensic Magazine. Retrieved Apr 11, 2019.
- ^ Williams, M.; & Sigman, M. (2007). "Performance Testing of Commercial Containers for collection and storage of fire debris evidence". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 52 (3): 579–585. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2007.00435.x. PMID 17456085. S2CID 40810937.
- ^ Grutters, M (2012). "Performance Testing of the New AMPAC Fire Debris Bag Against Three Other Commercial Fire Debris Bags" (PDF). Journal of Forensic Sciences. 57 (5): 1290–1298. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02132.x. PMID 22564080. S2CID 12162625. Retrieved Apr 12, 2019.
- ^ Balk, C (2015). "Reducing Contamination in Forensic Science". Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science. 3 (12): 221–239. doi:10.31979/THEMIS.2015.0312. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Rosette, J L (2009), "Tamper-Evident Packaging", in Yam, K L (ed.), Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, Wiley (published 2010), ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6
- Rosette, J L, ”Improving Tamper-Evident Packaging: Problems, Tests and Solutions", 1992
- Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6
External links
- "Collecting DNA Evidence at a Property Crime Scene". National Forensic Technology Training Center. 2017.
- "Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement Training" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice. 2004.
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topics
- Active packaging
- Child-resistant packaging
- Contract packager
- Edible packaging
- Modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging
- Overpackaging
- Package delivery
- Package pilferage
- Package testing
- Package theft
- Packaging engineering
- Resealable packaging
- Reusable packaging
- Reuse of bottles
- Shelf life
- Shelf-ready packaging
- Shelf-stable
- Sustainable packaging
- Tamper-evident
- Tamper resistance
- Wrap rage
packages
- Alternative wine closure
- Ammunition box
- Banana box
- Beer bottle
- Box wine
- Case-ready meat
- Coffee bag
- Cosmetic packaging
- Currency packaging
- Disposable food packaging
- Drink can
- Egg carton
- Evidence packaging
- Field ration
- Flour sack
- Foam food container
- Food packaging
- Fuel container
- Gas cylinder
- Glass milk bottle
- Growler
- Juicebox
- Low plastic water bottle
- Luxury packaging
- Milk bag
- Optical disc packaging
- Oyster pail
- Popcorn bag
- Pharmaceutical packaging
- Plastic milk container
- Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags
- Sand bag
- Seasonal packaging
- Self-heating food packaging
- Screw cap (wine)
- Single-serve coffee container
- Spray paint
- Toothpaste pump dispenser
- Water bottle
- Wine bottle
- Aerosol spray dispenser
- Aluminium bottle
- Aluminum can
- Ampoule
- Antistatic bag
- Bag-in-box
- Bag
- Barrel
- Biodegradable bag
- Blister pack
- Boil-in-bag
- Bottle
- Box
- Bulk box
- Cage
- Case
- Carboy
- Carton
- Chub
- Clamshell
- Corrugated box design
- Crate
- Disposable cup
- Drum
- Endcap
- Envelope
- Euro container
- Flexible intermediate bulk container
- Flexi-bag
- Folding carton
- Glass bottle
- Gunny sack
- Inhaler
- Insulated shipping container
- Intermediate bulk container
- Jar
- Jerrycan
- Jug
- Keg
- Mesh bag
- Multilayered packaging
- Multi-pack
- Packet (container)
- Padded envelope
- Pail
- Paper bag
- Paper sack
- Plastic bag
- Plastic bottle
- Retort pouch
- Salvage drum
- Sachet
- Security bag
- Shipping container
- Shipping tube
- Skin pack
- Spray bottle
- Squround
- Stand-up pouch
- Steel and tin cans
- Tetra Brik
- Thermal bag
- Tub (container)
- Tube
- Unit load
- Vial
- Wooden box
and
components
- Adhesive
- Aluminium foil
- Bail handle
- Bioplastic
- Biodegradable plastic
- BoPET
- Bubble wrap
- Bung
- Cellophane
- Closure
- Coated paper
- Coating
- Coextrusion
- Corrugated fiberboard
- Corrugated plastic
- Cushioning
- Desiccant
- Double seam
- Flip-top
- Foam peanut
- Gel pack
- Glass
- Hot-melt adhesive
- Humidity indicator card
- Kraft paper
- Label
- Lid
- Linear low-density polyethylene
- Liquid packaging board
- Living hinge
- Low-density polyethylene
- Meat diaper
- Metallised film
- Modified atmosphere
- Molded pulp
- Nonwoven fabric
- Overwrap
- Oxygen scavenger
- Package handle
- Packaging gas
- Pallet
- Paper
- Paper pallet
- Paperboard
- Plastic-coated paper
- Plastic film
- Plastic pallet
- Plastic wrap
- Polyester
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Pressure-sensitive tape
- Pump dispenser
- Screw cap
- Screw cap (wine)
- Security printing
- Security tape
- Shock detector
- Shock and vibration data logger
- Shrink wrap
- Slip sheet
- Staple (fastener)
- Strapping
- Stretch wrap
- Susceptor
- Tamper-evident band
- Tear tape
- Temperature data logger
- Time temperature indicator
- Tinplate
- Velostat
- Aseptic processing
- Authentication
- Automatic identification and data capture
- Blow fill seal
- Blow molding
- Calendering
- Canning
- Coating
- Containerization
- Converting
- Corona treatment
- Curtain coating
- Die cutting
- Die forming (plastics)
- Electronic article surveillance
- Extrusion
- Extrusion coating
- Flame treatment
- Glass production
- Graphic design
- Hazard analysis and critical control points
- Hermetic seal
- Induction sealing
- Injection moulding
- Lamination
- Laser cutting
- Molding
- Package tracking
- Papermaking
- Plastic extrusion
- Plastic welding
- Printing
- Product development
- Production control
- Quality assurance
- Radio-frequency identification
- Roll slitting
- Shearing (manufacturing)
- Thermoforming
- Track and trace
- Ultrasonic welding
- Vacuum forming
- Vacuum packaging
- Verification and validation
- Barcode printer
- Barcode reader
- Bottling line
- Calender
- Can seamer
- Cap torque tester
- Cartoning machine
- Case sealer
- Check weigher
- Conveyor system
- Drum pump
- Extended core stretch wrapper
- Filler
- Heat gun
- Heat sealer
- Industrial robot
- Injection molding machine
- Label printer applicator
- Lineshaft roller conveyor
- Logistics automation
- Material-handling equipment
- Mechanical brake stretch wrapper
- Multihead weigher
- Orbital stretch wrapper
- Packaging machinery
- Pallet inverter
- Palletizer
- Rotary wheel blow molding systems
- Seed-counting machine
- Shrink tunnel
- Staple gun
- Tape dispenser
- Turntable stretch wrapper
- Vertical form fill sealing machine
post-use
- Biodegradation
- Can collecting
- Closed-loop box reuse
- Environmental engineering
- Glass recycling
- Industrial ecology
- Life-cycle assessment
- Litter
- Packaging waste
- Paper recycling
- PET bottle recycling
- Plastic recycling
- Recycling
- Reusable packaging
- Reverse logistics
- Source reduction
- Sustainable packaging
- Waste management