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Evidence packaging involves the specialized
packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a c ...
methods and materials used for physical
evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...
. Items need to be collected at a
crime scene A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcemen ...
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 Chain of custody (CoC), in legal contexts, is the chronological documentation or paper trail that records the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of materials, including physical or electronic evidence. Of particula ...
. 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. 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. Many items are suited to a clean paper bag sealed with a
security tape Security tape (or security label) is a type of adhesive tape used to help reduce shipping losses due to pilfering and theft. It helps reduce tampering or product adulteration. Often it is a pressure sensitive tape or label with special tamper ...
. Many jurisdictions desire one item per container, but situations do vary. Clean
zipper storage bag A zipper storage bag, slider storage bag, zipper bag, zip lock bag, or zippie is an inexpensive flexible rectangular storage bag, usually transparent, made of polyethylene or similar plastic, that can be sealed and opened many times, either by a ...
s 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 box Corrugated box design is the process of matching design factors for corrugated fiberboard boxes with the functional physical, processing and end-use requirements. Packaging engineers work to meet the performance requirements of a box while control ...
es so the blade does not cut the package or people. Empty firearms are often attached to a corrugated box by
cable tie A cable tie (also known as a hose tie, zip tie, or tie wrap) is a type of fastener for holding items together, primarily electrical cables and wires. Because of their low cost, ease of use, and binding strength, cable ties are ubiquitous, findi ...
s. 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 bag A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazine ...
s have also been shown to be effective.


Contamination

Control is needed to prevent contamination of the evidence: investigators to the evidence, scene to scene, evidence to evidence, etc.


Dangerous evidence

Particular care is needed when packaging material classified as
dangerous goods Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...
(Hazardous materials) and with items possibly qualifying as
hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. Hazardous waste is a type of dangerous goods. They usually have one or more of the following hazardous traits: ignitability, reactivity, cor ...
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 container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of ...
s.


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 Chain of custody (CoC), in legal contexts, is the chronological documentation or paper trail that records the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of materials, including physical or electronic evidence. Of particula ...
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". 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 tape Security tape (or security label) is a type of adhesive tape used to help reduce shipping losses due to pilfering and theft. It helps reduce tampering or product adulteration. Often it is a pressure sensitive tape or label with special tamper ...
s, etc.


See also

* Fire investigation *
Criminal investigation Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include searching, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection and preservat ...
*
Forensic firearm examination Forensic firearm examination is the forensic process of examining the characteristics of firearms or bullets left behind at a crime scene. Specialists in this field try to link bullets to weapons and weapons to individuals. They can raise and ...
* DNA collection * Bindle


References

* Rosette, J L, ”Improving Tamper-Evident Packaging: Problems, Tests and Solutions", 1992 * Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009,


External links

* * {{packaging Forensic techniques Law enforcement techniques Packaging