- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- Introduction
- Objectives
- AFTE Knowledge and Ability Factors
- Types of Evidence
- Associative Evidence
- The Crime Scene
- Evidence Submission
- Laboratory Evidence Handling
- Case Tracking Within the Laboratory
- Firearm and Toolmark Examination Considerations
- Selected Bibliography
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
High Security
Home > Evidence Handling Procedures > Case Tracking Within the Laboratory > High Security
Evidence items requiring high security
Certain types of physical evidence require special attention simply due to their nature. In many forensic laboratories, the examiner at the hub of the chain of custody will be required to follow additional procedures for the protection of the examiner and for the security of the evidence. Frequently, this involves a storage protocol that uses a separate storage facility accessed only by the examiner and the laboratory director (or designee). They would be required to access the evidence at the same time, recording each access in a logbook.
While these measures may appear excessive at first glance, the precautions are prudent for an examiner with chain-of-custody responsibility.
If a firearm/toolmark examiner is the hub of the chain of custody for firearm/toolmark evidence only, the following physical evidence examples may require high-security measures:
- Collectable firearms of high value, such as historic or rare firearms (property of historic figures, assassination firearms, etc.)
- Evidence firearms in current high-profile cases subject to intense media interest
- Sensitive or classified items with a requirement for limited access on a need-to-know basis
If a firearm/toolmark examiner is the hub of the chain of custody for all forms of evidence in a submission, these additional examples would also apply:
- Cash, negotiable bonds, or any other financial instruments that could easily be converted to personal use
- Drug evidence
- Jewelry, precious metals, rare or gold coins, gemstones, or any other items of high intrinsic value
