- Property turned directly in to the property unit:
- The receiving clerk will immediately inventory the property in the submitting officer’s presence using the Evidence Manager. This process will certify the intake date and time.
- A secure facility is provided for storage of all found, recovered or evidentiary property during periods when the property room is closed. [Redacted].
- [Redacted] lockers [redacted]are located in this storage area.
- When the property room is not open, evidence or property etc., including monies and valuables, is to be placed in the appropriate lockers or vaults.
- After placing evidence into a locker, the officer should lock the locker, [redacted].
- Property turned in to the police [redacted]storage area (fenced):
- Contact the property unit (if open).
- The property clerk will open the storage area, store the property, and use the Evidence Manager to inventory the property.
- The property clerk will then secure and lock the storage area.
- If the property room is closed an officer shall place large and bulky items into one of the two drop lockers [redacted] and lock with the provided pad lock.
- A drying chamber/locker for wet and/or bloody clothing is available in the property room. Hangers are provided and should be used when submitting wet and/or bloody clothing. In addition:
- A chain of custody form for items to be placed in the drying locker should be completely filled out.
- [Redacted].
- Evidence that is taken from the property room to the court house:
- Will be signed for in triplicate on form PM 512 by the person taking the evidence.
- The original (white sheet) will be retained by the property room and kept with the property unit documents.
- The Evidence Manager will be noted by property room staff to explain the purpose of evidence removal and destination for the evidence to court.
- The second (pink) and the third (yellow) copies will go with the officer to court.
- If the evidence is actually taken by the prosecutor, the prosecutor will sign for the property on both forms.
- The pink copy will be returned to the property room after court and forwarded to records to be scanned into the case file.
- The third (yellow) copy will be kept for the prosecuting attorney who actually receives the evidence. It will be kept with their case file and will be signed by police personnel when the property is turned back to the police department.
- Occasionally, officers are called to the court house (clerk of court and/or prosecutor’s office) to return evidence to our property unit.
- Under no circumstances should evidence belonging to agencies other than the Saint Paul Police Department be retrieved from the clerk of court.
- Each law enforcement agency is responsible for retrieval and documentation/chain of custody for their evidence.
Revised June 7, 2016