NCJ Number
205771
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 44,46,48
Date Published
May 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Lake County Sheriff's Office (Illinois) uses an automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) system based on bar code technology to manage its custodial property.
Abstract
The software-driven AIDC system, developed by the Porter Lee Corporation (Schaumburg, IL), is the core of the program called Bar Coded Evidence Analysis Statistics and Tracking (BEAST). The bar code technology enables evidence data to be automatically recorded into the system rather than manually completing a paper form and entering it into the system, a time-consuming procedure vulnerable to error. The BEAST creates a complete and secure chain of custody for evidence tracking from the time of collection through forensic analysis and final disposition. Beginning at the crime scene, detectives collect and record evidence by using Symbol Technologies' battery-operated laptop or handheld computers and a Zebra battery-powered mobile label printer to ensure that evidence is tagged and secured immediately. Upon returning to the station, the mobile-device data are uploaded into the system, and the evidence is entered into property control. To ensure that the labels on each evidence item do not deteriorate under harsh weather conditions and commonly used laboratory substances, Zebra's Trans Matte 3000 labels are used. This label uses a smooth-coated label stock with an all-temperature adhesive. After returning to the station, the detective who collected and tagged the evidence at the scene chooses a secure evidence locker for temporary placement of each item prior to filing and scans a bar-coded tag on the locker to alert the system of the item's location. It is not until both the item and locker are scanned that the deputy relinquishes responsibility for the property. Once in the evidence locker, the item remains in the secure custody of the only two people who have access to it, the senior property officer and the assistant property officer. When the item leaves the locker for a more permanent location, the property officer prints another smaller bar code label that identifies the precise location where the item will be stored in the warehouse. This label, the larger label, and the secure locker tag are all scanned once more to initiate the item's movement. Once the object arrives at the final storage shelf, the two labels are scanned to alert the system that the item has arrived at its destination. The combination of laptop computer and portable printers, plus desktop computers and printers, has enabled the Lake County Sheriff's Office to track the movement of every piece of evidence accurately and without the time-consuming and risky use of evidence logs and ledgers.