FEBRUARY 2020 - IAPE Monthly Newsletter
  
Ask Joe...
Each month, IAPE's primary instructor and Executive Director, Joe Latta, answers one of your questions. Consider writing us if you have a question that needs an answer. We would love to hear from you.  
To submit a question for Joe  Contact Us   
Early this month  I received a letter from one of our armed services branches in Washington DC  asking the following. 

Dear Joe,
 
I'd like some additional information regarding IAPE.  Any information such as the history of the organization, mission, vision, governance, partner organizations, etc. Additionally, are you categorized as a not-for-profit 501c(3) organization similar to the IACP?
 
Sincerely,
US Military Official
 
In response to the letter, one of our Board Member (William Kiley Past President (Emeritus) authored the below letter that really defines who IAPE is.

Dear US Military Official,

IAPE is a 501.c.(3) corporation that was founded in 1993 with a mission of providing training in the law enforcement functional areas of Property and Evidence storage, accountability, tracking, disposition, etc. for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.  IAPE is truly international in scope in that we have members in many countries to include the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands.  A Board of Directors provides governance for the Association and day-to-day operations are handled by our Executive Director and a contracted company.  Over the past decades IAPE has offered hundreds of classes throughout the United States and Canada; our two-day face-to-face Property and Evidence Management Class has been attended by thousands of Evidence Custodians, Supervisors, Managers, and Administrators.  Our training curriculum is based upon IAPE's Professional Standards and best business practices in this specialty area of law enforcement.  Our professional standards have been developed by our Board over several decades.  Some years ago, in response to the needs of our membership, IAPE began to offer an online, on demand, video version of the two-day class.  This has been especially helpful to many international members as well as those whose agencies cannot afford travel, per-diem, etc. for attendance at a traditional class.  IAPE has launched a new one-day Property and Evidence Supervisors class to address the particular needs of our members who serve in that capacity.  Additionally, private corporations that have statutory requirements to retain certain types of evidence, e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley documentary evidence, have had their custodians attend our training classes.  

In addition to training, IAPE implemented a certification program for our members who desire to achieve a professional designation in their field of expertise. The Certified Property and Evidence Specialist (CPES) credential has been sought by more than 2,500 individuals around the globe.  A Corporate Certified Property and Evidence Specialist (CCPES) designation is also offered for our members from the private sector.  

With the ever increasing demands for professionalization in the functional area of Property and Evidence, IAPE instituted a program that enables law enforcement Property and Evidence components of an agency to seek accreditation by IAPE.  A rigorous  process ensures that agencies are in compliance with the IAPE Professional Standards.  Accreditation has been sought by local, state, and federal agencies.

As you may know, in state and local law enforcement, assignment to the Property and Evidence function is often for a short duration and, therefore, there is a high turnover rate in personnel.  As a result, IAPE sees a significant change in our membership rolls as individuals move to other assignments within their agencies. Our membership rolls are consistently above four thousand members.

With regard to your inquiry about partner organizations, IAPE is recognized as the leading professional association for Property and Evidence management.  Members of our Board of Directors have cooperatively and collaboratively worked with many other professional associations. One example is the ongoing affiliation with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).  IAPE representatives have contributed to the publication of guidelines produced by NIST for all of law enforcement.  Leaders from IAPE regularly address organizations such as the FBI National Academy Associates, State Sheriffs Associations, National Internal Affairs Investigators Association, International Prosecutors Association (Dubai, UAE), State and Regional Associations for Property & Evidence Management, etc.   IAPE has also worked with the U.S. Department of State to offer training in South America.  

Regards,
William Kiley
Past President (Emeritus)

  New News 
 
Commencing in November 2019, we have posted 6 news articles from Southern California in the monthly IAPE Newsletter as well as the  latest issue of the Evidence Log (page 42)   discussing the submitting of evidence in accordance to policy, generally end of shift. (IAPE Standard 6.1: Storage - Temporary Storage
In this Newsletter, we are spotlighting yet another evidence submission story that mirrors the Southern California headline where evidence was not being submitted  by the end of shift as required by policy and best practices only to cause another political firestorm. It is of most interest these are not Property Room issues but organizational evidence problems. In most cases, the Evidence Custodians may have  had no way of knowing that the evidence even existed.
 
However, some of the culpability may be with the officer's supervisors who should be ensuring that evidence is booked into the Evidence Unit by in accordance to  policy.

 
HEADLINES  

Dallas Police Issue Reprimands, Suspensions for 23 Former Vice Officers
 January 29, 2020
 
Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall disciplined nearly two dozen former vice officers Wednesday for mishandling department money used in gambling operations and for not delivering evidence in those cases to the property room. 
The investigation into suspected malfeasance began three years ago and though no criminal violations were found the department said violations of policy occurred in documentation. 

"Members of this unit admitted to replacing confidential funds with gambling winnings and failed to place evidentiary or seized money and/or property into the property room, per departmental policy," the department said Wednesday. " Due to poor, or lack of any documentation, this investigation was unable to verify how detectives accounted for monetary gambling winnings, confidential funds or how they disposed of gambling machines."

The department issued suspensions between three days and 20 days to 22 officers Wednesday. Another officer received a reprimand in the case several months ago. Two Dallas police union leaders took issue with the suspensions.

"I think it was an embarrassment. It was a complete embarrassment. They held the officers responsible. This was a departmental problem. This was a policy problem. This was a procedure problem. This was a training problem. But yet, the officers were the ones that paid the piper today," Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said. 

"We have just a shoot in the dark type of discipline," said National Latino Law Enforcement Organization Dallas Chapter President George Aranda. "No rhyme or reason. And nobody is holding our command staff accountable."

According to an executive summary dated June 19, 2019, the Internal Affairs Division reviewed 146 search warrants executed by vice between January 2016 and November 2017. Investigators found multiple policy violations were discovered including:
  • Detectives failed in 29 instances to place evidence or seized property into the property room and they were unaccounted for.
  • Detectives failed in 25 instances to place cash evidence or property into the property room by the end of their tour.
  • Detectives failed in 154 instances to place monetary gambling winnings into the property room and they were unaccounted for.
  • Detectives caused inaccurate information to be entered into departmental documents in 135 instances.
  • Detectives failed in 145 instances to forward property receipts to the records section for filing.
  • Detectives failed in 70 instances to document their expenditure of confidential funds in an expense report.
  • Detectives failed in 187 instances to document investigative activity regarding an assigned complaint, which included their gambling with confidential funds.
  • Detectives, in three instances, used their city-issued confidential funds for petty cash expenditures, contrary to department policy.
Investigators said due to "poor, erroneous, or no documentation of expenditure or investigative activity" they were unable to determine the total amount of money won or spent during the gambling investigations or the amount of evidence that was failed to be placed into the property room.
The vice detectives told investigators they replaced their loss of confidential funds with gambling winnings and only used property or money obtained during an investigation to further vice investigations or for departmental purposes. They also said they only used seized property after it had been awarded to the department by a civil asset forfeiture hearing. No officers were terminated in the vice investigation and no criminal violations were sustained. The department's vice unit was disbanded in November 2017 by Chief Hall shortly after she arrived from Detroit. The vice officers were transferred to other duties in the police department.



Can't Travel???
IAPE also offers ONLINE TRAINING

The Full online course class option is a great choice if you want much of the same training as the Live classes but without the travel and time away from the department. The IAPE Property and Evidence Management video Course is approximately 14 hours in length  and was prepared by Law Enforcement Personnel for Law Enforcement personnel. Completion of the course meets the training requirements for becoming a Certified Property and Evidence Specialist (CPES).

ONLINE INDIVIDUAL CLASS MODULES:
Below is a listing of our individual class options for those who may have limited time and want to get specific training in the most needed areas within the evidence room.

This video provides material useful to Property Room personnel as well as Auditors regarding the preparation for and procedure of conducting an audit of the Property Room. Additionally you will also learn various aspects of conducting inventories and how they differ from audits.

Security Video:  This video focuses on the best ways to secure your Property Room as well as common mistakes that you should avoid. You will also learn about many types of products and procedures which will enhance the security of your facility. INCLUDES SPECIAL BONUS VIDEO ON ELECTRONIC SECURITY.

Documentation, Chain of Custody and Automation:  These 2 video modules provide an understanding of the Chain of Custody within the property room, along with an overview of the various internal controls needed to properly track and manage you evidence when it leaves your department for court, crime lab or out for investigations . Additionally, the video also discusses the advantages of automating the tracking process, Found Property and Property for Safekeeping.

For a Limited Time Save 20% off 
of EVERYTHING  at   Shop IAPE 
$20 minimum order  Offer good till 03/10/20
Discount code: IAPE 20 

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2020 CLASSES

March 10 - 11, 2020
2 Seats Left

Supervisor Class
March 19, 2020

March 24 - 25, 2 020
2 Seats Left

March 31 - April 1, 2020

April 29 - 30, 2020
9 Seats Left

May 6 - 7, 2020

May 20 - 21, 2020
15 Seats Left

June 9 - 10, 2020

June 15 - 16, 2020

June 24 - 25, 2020

July 15 - 16, 2020

July 20 - 21, 2020

Supervisor Class
July 22, 2020

August 5 - 6, 2020

August 10 - 11, 2020

August 19 - 20, 2020

September 1 - 2, 2020

September 21 - 22, 2020

Supervisor Class
September 23, 2020

October 6 - 7, 2020

October 13 - 14, 2020

October 21 - 22, 2020

November 9 - 10, 2020

December 7 - 8, 2020

Additional
Classes Being Planned  in 2020

 
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Become a 
Certified Evidence Specialis t

Along with the IAPE's extensive  evidence training courses, the IAPE offers our members the opportunity to become Certified Property and Evidence Specialists. 

Certification is available to our law enforcement agency members as well as our corporate members. The designation of CPES or CCPES indicates that the holder is a professional who has completed requirements in training; has worked in the field for a required period of time; and has demonstrated their knowledge of professional standards through a written test. More than 2,000 IAPE members have achieved the CPES or CCPES designation.