1. CONSIDERATIONS AFTER COLLECTION
OF EVIDENCE
Chain of Custody
Standard/Reference Samples
Submission of Evidence

2. CONTINUITY OF POSSESSION
 Continuity of possession, or the chain of
custody, must be established whenever
evidence is presented in court as an exhibit.
This means that every person who handled or
examined the evidence must be accounted for.
Failure to substantiate the evidence’s chain of
custody may lead to serious questions
regarding the authenticity and integrity of the
evidence and the examinations of it.

3. CONTINUITY OF POSSESSION
Record where evidence was located
Make sure evidence is marked for
identification, either on the evidence itself, or
on the packaging.
Make sure all submission forms are filled out
properly and completely.

4. CONTINUITY OF POSSESSION
 All items of physical evidence should be carefully
packaged and marked upon their retrieval at crime
scenes.
 If possible, the evidence itself should be marked for
identification. Normally, the collector's initials and
the date of collection are inscribed directly on the
article.
 Where appropriate, evidence should be tagged for
identification (such as firearms).

5. CONTINUITY OF POSSESSION
 Once and evidence container is selected for the
evidence, it too, must be marked for identification.
 A MINIMUM record would show the collector’s
initials, location of the evidence, and date of
collection. If the evidence is turned over to another
individual for care or delivery to the laboratory, this
transfer must be recorded in notes and other
appropriate forms.
 Every individual who at any time possesses the
evidence must maintain a written record of its
acquisition and disposition.

6. CONTINUITY OF POSSESSION
Frequently, all of the individuals
involved in the collection and
transportation of the evidence may
be requested to testify in court. To
avoid confusion and to retain
complete control of the evidence at
all times, the chain of custody
should be kept to a minimum.

7. Richard
Safferstein,
Copyright
© 2011
Pearson
Education,
Inc.,
publishing
as Pearson
Prentice
Hall, Upper
Saddle
River, New
Jersey
07458.
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