Property and Evidence Room Management

West St. Paul Police Chief
Bud Shaver presents at the conference.

A guest blog by Tracy Stille, Loss Control and Law Enforcement Field Consultant

The importance of property and evidence room management has certainly gained visibility in the state of Minnesota. One result of the increased visibility was legislation enacted in 2010, requiring the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association to develop a model policy that articulates best practices for forfeitures.

Along with West St. Paul City Attorney Kori Land and West St. Paul Police Chief Bud Shaver, I recently presented at the 2018 City Attorney’s Educational Conference on the importance of police property room management.

In addition to taking custody of property subject to forfeiture, law enforcement officers take custody of lost and stolen property, contraband, and physical evidence that can directly or indirectly solve a crime. The integrity of these items depends upon the proper handling of the items from the moment law enforcement takes possession of them until they are legally returned to their owners, sold, destroyed, or retained for agency use.

The mishandling of these items by law enforcement agencies can lead to criminal charges against officers, financial liability for the law enforcement agency, the loss or theft of property, or the damage, contamination, or destruction of evidence.

In 2011, the State Auditor’s Office published a Best Practices Review of Police Property and Evidence Rooms to provide timely, important resources to law enforcement agencies around the state of Minnesota and to help mitigate the mishandling of police property. It not only provided a guide to developing a Property and Evidence Room Policies and Procedures Manual, but it is also unique in that it incorporates an overlay of Minnesota laws.

Loss Control Field Consultant
Tracy Stille

Police Property Room Self-Inspections Checklist

The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) has also developed a self-inspection checklist for Minnesota cities. This checklist can be used to evaluate your own police property room and to ensure that it has sufficient security, storage, and equipment, as well as ensure that the personnel assigned to the property room have sufficient oversight and training.

If you are interested in receiving free information about the self-inspection of your police property room, please contact me. I will either email you a copy of the self-inspection checklist or, if you prefer, arrange for a free on-site visit of your police property room. 

You may contact me at tstille@lmc.org or give me a call at (651) 215-4051.

Up next: The Impact of Fitness and Weight on Officer Injuries

In the meantime, stay safe and be careful.

Tracy