(See General Order 424.01: Photograph, Audio, and Video Recordings)

All imagery, video and audio recordings or other similar items that are taken, recorded or obtained while within the scope of an officer’s authority, is the intellectual property of the department. No photographs, videos, or other digital evidence may be taken, printed, downloaded, copied, or distributed for any officer’s personal use, unless approved by the chief of police (ex. training, marketing, etc.). Storage, destruction, copying, releasing or other dissemination will be in compliance with General Orders 235.00: Data Practices to 235.50: Uniform Evidence Retention.

The handling and submitting of recorded and digitally stored evidence from digital cameras and audio, video recorders will comply with these procedures to ensure the integrity and admissibility of evidence. The evidence gathered by officers will be submitted via the Evidence Manager and stored in the original format in the property room to guarantee the chain of custody. Digital video evidence gathered from individual sources will be disseminated separately; no video integration will be provided.

Digital Photography:

  • Each district will be provided with department cameras.

  • Department-issued cell phones BWC iPods may be used in circumstances where no department camera is available. When cell phone photography is used employees must document its use in their reports.

  • Pictures taken with any deviceor secure unit storage drive to establish and protect a

  • All photographs taken will be preserved regardless of quality, composition or relevance.

  • Once evidence is recorded it must not be erased, deleted or altered in any way.

  • Employees must verify that the images properly transfer to the media storage and are labeled, and entered into the evidence manager process. The employee will then erase the memory card for re­use.

  • Only property room, forensic services, special investigations, video management unit personnel, and those authorized by the chief of police may copy original media seized as evidence.

  • The original digital media will remain in evidence (property room, media vault, or secure unit storage drive) until final disposition is authorized under the applicable retention period.

  • Digital images that are enhanced to provide a better quality photograph for identification and investigative purposes must only be made from a copy of the original media.

  • If any enhancement is done to the copy of the original, it shall be noted in the corresponding police report and in the Evidence Manager as a new piece of evidence.  Video Management Unit or special investigations unit personnel making the enhancement shall store a copy of what they made in the property room under the investigative case number. 

  • Pictures must not be kept locally on computers, except by technicians who are actively working on the case file.The repository for all evidentiary photos is the media storage servers (Evidence.com, Hitachi, and SPPD media vault), which track and audit file access.

    Digital Photo evidence:

    Whenever any photographs of an evidentiary nature are taken, they will be downloaded to the Media Vault. Downloaded photographs must be documented in a report attached to the case that includes, at a minimum, the date, time, case number, location and the name of the officer making the photographic record.

  • All photo processing of crime scenes will be done in color.

  • Digital still pictures with a camera using a video card, phone or iPod not listed in another category downloaded to the media vault

  • All BWC still pictures will be classified by the user and loaded to the Axon server.

  • All ICC still pictures will be classified by the user and loaded to the Hitachi server.

  • All CCTV still pictures will be classified by the user and loaded to the Hitachi server.

    Videos:

  • Only department authorized recording devices will be allowed for recording.

  • After an incident is recorded, the recording must be loaded and classified in the appropriate media location such as a docking station, or to the property room, according to policy.

  • Videos must not be kept locally on computers, except by personnel who are actively working on the file.The repository for all evidentiary videos is the media storage where tracking and auditing of files occurs.

  • If a video is recovered from a source outside of the department, it should be turned into the property room to establish a chain of evidence. SIU, FSU or VMUpersonnel can complete a forensic video analysis, when necessary. Any analysis completed will be documented and new evidence generated will be handled according to policy.

  • All BWC videos will be classifiedby the user and loaded to the Axon server

  • All ICC videos will be classifiedby the user and loaded to the Hitachi server

  • All CCTV videos will be classified by the user and loaded to the Hitachi server

    Paper Evidence Stored Digitally

    Whenever paper evidence is stored in the property room, investigators will have access to the documents via digital storage.  

  • All paper evidence will be noted in the Evidence Manager and preserved regardless of quality, composition or relevance.

  • All paper evidence will be scanned into the Evidence Manager by property room staff.

  • Paper evidence will not be altered in any way prior to or after scanning.

  • The original digital media shall remain in evidence until a disposition is authorized according to evidence retention protocols.

  • Paper evidence that is contaminated or in need of forensic analysis will not be scanned into Evidence Manager without the express permission of the investigator.

Miscellaneous

  • The property room is the place to pick up all requested materials for court.
  • Requests for data or evidence analysis should be made to the appropriate place, using the correct method, at http://sppds-dotnet2014.stpaul.city/VideoRequest/Sign_in.aspx, prior to pick up. 
  • All data is subject to Minnesota Government Data Practices Act; Minnesota Statute Chapter 13, along with General Order 235.00 (SPPD Manual G.O. 235.00 Data Practices). The SPPD Data Compliance Officer will make the final determination on what is authorized to be released.  Dissemination of digital evidence outside of the department is strictly prohibited.
  • All viewing of and/or listening to evidentiary data is on a need to know basis directly related to the individual’s case relationship and job assignment.  No other viewing or listening to digital evidence is allowed. 
  • Evidence from individual sources must be stored and maintained as individual files; video obtained from different or separate sources must not be combined in a file.

Homicide/Robbery Unit:

The Homicide/Robbery Unit’s digital recording system will be maintained by the Homicide/Robbery Unit at the direction of the Unit’s Senior Commander. The Homicide/Robbery Unit will maintain a secure storage drive for the purpose of long-term storage of original digital evidence. The Homicide/Robbery Unit’s Senior Commander or their designee, is responsible for storage, destruction, copying, releasing and/or other dissemination and will be in compliance with G.O. 235.50 Uniform Evidence Retention policy.

Revised September 25, 2017

Last Edited: September 25, 2017