Evidence Submission Guidelines - Minnesota Department of Public ...

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8.0 Sealing UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED MN BCA Forensic Science Service Evidence Submission Guidelines Authorized by: DAS Issue Date: 03/14/2013 Page 12 of 48 Pages Evidence must be properly sealed prior to acceptance by the Minnesota BCA Forensic Science Service. Evidence is properly sealed when its packaging is secured to prevent loss, crosscontamination, cross-transfer, other deleterious change, and/or unauthorized access to the contents would be detectable. An acceptable seal covers the entire opening on the packaging container. Manila envelope clasps, ziplocked plastic bags, and staples alone do not constitute an acceptable seal. They should be accompanied by a tape or heat seal. A proper seal should also bare the initials of the sealer. Initials should be permanent in nature. Oversized items or evidence with other characteristics making its placement into a sealable package impractical (e.g. doors bearing toolmarks, furniture, etc.) need to have at minimum the area of interest covered to protect from loss or alteration. Some sort of marking or identifier should be in place so the item of evidence can later be shown to be the item examined. Identification of this sort can be accomplished using indelible markings, engraved markings, or a unique number (e.g. serial number) attached to the item. If it is determined that evidence cannot be accepted by the Minnesota BCA Forensic Science Service for examination due to an improper seal, the agency will be contacted immediately to determine the correct return of the evidence. Fig. 8- 1: A proper seal should bare permanent initials of the sealer. There are a variety of approaches one can take to properly seal evidence. The most commonly encountered methods of sealing evidence at the Minnesota BCA Forensic Science Service include heat seals, staples with tape or heat combination, tamper-proof evidence tape, tamper-proof adhesive strips, or a combination of these.
UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED MN BCA Forensic Science Service Evidence Submission Guidelines Authorized by: DAS Issue Date: 03/14/2013 Page 13 of 48 Pages The heat sealing method is used with plastic packaging. The heat partially melts the plastic packaging and fuses it together. Keep in mind that some plastic material is thicker than others. To achieve a proper seal, temperature and time requirements of the heat sealer will vary. Ensure that the plastic has fused together. Initial across the heat seal with a permanent pen. Fig. 8- 2: A proper heat seal should be initialed by the sealer with a permanent pen. Keep in mind that plastic material can vary in thickness. A different time/temperature combination may be required. Ensure that the plastic has fused together. Staples are often used to secure paper bags. When using staples, close the opening of the container and fold it over more than once. Staples should be placed in several locations along the fold to ensure it is properly shut. The staples should then be covered with a tamper-proof evidence tape or reinforced packaging tape to properly seal. Initial across the seal with a permanent pen. Tamper-proof evidence tape is available in a variety of sizes, colors, and can even be customized with your department name. It is a highly sensitive, tamper indicating tape. Many have serrated edges that will cause the tape to tear if removal is attempted. Tamper-proof evidence tape is marketed to provide a secure seal on all packaging materials; however, it is always good practice to test the tape on commonly used packaging (e.g. plastic) prior to using it to seal evidence. Due to its sensitive properties, it is recommended to use another method of sealing (e.g. staples, clear tape) if any type of stress has or could occur to the seal. Initial across the seal with a permanent pen. Tamper-proof adhesive strips are typically encountered on plastic evidence bags. The adhesive strip provides a quick and easy method for sealing the plastic bag. Just remove the plastic backing and seal. If any attempt is made to open the seal, the plastic will become distorted. Once sealed, initial across the seal with a permanent pen. Fig. 8- 3 and 8-4: Evidence/Property plastic bags can be purchased with tamper-proof adhesive strips. These provide a quick and easy method for sealing a plastic bag. Ensure that the bag has been sealed and initialed by the sealer with a permanent pen.
Page 1 and 2: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Appreh
Page 3 and 4: Preface UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRIN
Page 5 and 6: 3.0 Services Provided UNCONTROLLED
Page 7 and 8: 5.0 General Safety Information UNCO
Page 9 and 10: 7.0 General Evidence Collection UNC
Page 11: UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED MN B
Page 15 and 16: 10.0 Section Specific Submission Re
Page 17 and 18: UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED MN B
Page 19 and 20: Sample Recommended Acceptable Alter
Page 21 and 22: Drug Blood Quantitative Lower Limit
Page 25 and 26: Specimen Amount to Take Standard/Kn
Page 27 and 28: Trace-Chemical Testing UNCONTROLLED
Page 31 and 32: Biological Evidence Collection Guid
Page 43 and 44: 10.6 Questioned Documents UNCONTROL
Page 45 and 46: 10.7 Latent Prints UNCONTROLLED COP

Evidence Submission Guidelines - Minnesota Department of Public ...

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