IAPE Monthly Newsletter & Updates |
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Ask Joe...Each month, IAPE's primary instructor and Executive Director, Joe Latta, answers one of your questions pertaining to your everyday property and evidence room questions.
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Dear Joe,
"I never got it!"
I recently ran into a problem that I was unsure on how to resolve. A detective recently came to the property room asking about a certain piece of evidence, submitted early in the month. We researched in the property room computer and found that it never been submitted as suggested in the officer’s incident report.
Further inquiry with the submitting officer, who later found that it was still in his possession and it haven't turned as suggested by the report. The bottom line , when evidence is submitted to my temporary lockers, I remove it, type it into the computer and store it. There is no data entry by the officers before I get it. The only record in this case was the item was mentioned in a report. If the detective hadn’t asked about it, we would’ve never known that it had not reached the property room. Do you have any thoughts?
Thanks,
Marlene
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Dear Marlene,
Thanks for the email. I will try to address this both for a paper or manual system and an automated property and evidence computer system and speak to how the process should work.
Electronic System
The ideal scenario is for the submitting officer, upon receiving the item, book it immediately into the computer system and document which temporary locker, such as Locker 1, 2, or Temp Locker, etc. On the following morning, when you remove evidence from the lockers, you request a list from the computer of everything that was submitted from the previous day. (predicated on the entry by the officer into the temp locker) A list of 22 items are printed out, and it would give you a check off list to ensure that everything that was entered into the computer you have taken possession of for storage.
Without such a control, you may never know what wasn’t turned in. Additionally, there is a time stamp record when it was submitted and when you removed it from a locker and scan it to intake and there is a timestamp when you received it. By using this or similar process, you may protect yourself by showing that you did not receive the item on a particular day.
Manual or Paper System
If you are use a manual or paper system, a safeguard that you may consider is that you have a hand-written running log filled out by the submitting employee, that may have information such as a case number, item number, date and time, brief description. The following morning you compare the log that was completed by the submitting employee for comparative purposes. There are six items on the log that were submitted overnight which means you should have six items in the lockers. You check them off the list when received and now you have an accounting of all of the items that were submitted into the lockers.
If you are automated and the officer isn’t doing the data entry, consider a hand written log as described.
Regards,
Joe Latta - Executive Director
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Commentary:
The following story is running in sync with today’s Ask Joe question “I Never Got It”, which many of you have dealt with the issue in your careers. IN 99% of the instance it is a legitimate mistakes or oversite. Or I forget! The importance for me, in this story, is the way in which Sheriff Grady Judd handled the investigation, follow-up, arrest and community follow-up. See how a real leader deals with a police misconduct issues and ensues how important integrity and honesty is in our profession. Sheriff Judd has always been one of my hero’s.
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3 Polk deputies accused of tampering with evidence after money goes missing
March 23, 2021
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POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Three former Polk County deputies face charges after money went missing from an arrest in December, according to the sheriff's office.
John Raczynski, Jamal Lawson and Garrett Cook were all arrested Friday, according to a news release, and each resigned upon being arrested. They would have been fired if they had not resigned, according to the sheriff's office.
According to a PCSO news release, an investigation into the trio started with an arrest on Dec. 21, 2020. Records show Raczynski, 24, pulled over a woman in Winter Haven and ended up searching her car, ultimately finding narcotics in the car and $723 on the woman. Lawson, 29, and Cook, 26, arrived as backup during the search, according to the sheriff's office.
On Dec. 23, 2020, Raczynski placed 13 items of evidence in a property-and-evidence locker at a substation, according to records, but the money was not included nor was it logged in the arrestee's property at the jail.
The release said the woman contacted the sheriff's office on March 15, inquiring about the money and her cellphone. Supervisors began an investigation into the missing property and detectives found a supplemental report created by Raczynski on March 16, adding $723 in the "property insert" portion of the report, according to investigators. Records show that Raczynski electronically signed the report, which was also electronically witnessed by Cook. Investigators said they later determined that Raczynski used Cook's password to fraudulently report him as a witness.
Investigators said they questioned the property and evidence officer who told them Raczynski asked to speak with her on her personal phone. The officer told detectives that the former deputy admitted to her that the money was unaccounted for and said Lawson moved evidence from his trunk to Raczynski's trunk, and that they could not find the money after that, according to investigators.
Raczynski asked if there was a way he could replace it, records show. The property officer checked all of the databases, reports and locations where any record of the money might be, but could not locate it, according to the release. She then reported the phone call to her supervisor, who then called Raczynski's sergeant, detectives said.
Detectives said the sergeant then questioned Raczynski about the money and told his superior that he and Lawson would "make it right" by submitting their own money into evidence. The sergeant told him not to and a criminal investigation began, according to the release.
Raczynski now faces charges of conspiracy to commit evidence tampering, official misconduct, tampering or fabricating evidence, forgery and uttering forged instrument.
Lawson faces conspiracy to commit evidence tampering, official misconduct and tampering or fabricating evidence. Cook faces conspiracy to commit evidence tampering.
"Everyone at this agency knows that they are held to the highest standards, and they also know that if they break the law, we're going to hold them strictly accountable," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "I'm angry that these three violated the law, and in the process, betrayed the trust of our citizens. Their actions are reprehensible, and do not reflect the mission and vision of the Polk County Sheriff's Office. I also commend the agency members who immediately took action to do the right thing and correct this unlawful conduct."
Investigators said an extensive audit is being conducted of all three deputies' criminal case reports and lists of seized property, adding that more charges could be filed if additional discrepancies are found.
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Did you know that over 2,500 agencies have attended our recent National Webinars? You don't want to miss the next one. |
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The Staffing Conundrum: To Staff OR Not To Staff
Join our Free Webinar for ALL Public Safety
Thursday, April 8th
9:30 am (PDT) / 12:30 pm (EDT)
PRINCIPLE PRESENTER: Joe Latta, Executive Director IAPE
In this webinar, we are going to discuss the following:
- How improper staffing can easily benefit or hinder the efficiency of your operation.
- The factors that drive staffing numbers and how to compare with other agencies of like size.
- How to overcome the challenges to ascertain the correct staffing numbers in any property room.
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World Class Training in “Best-Practices” For
Evidence & Property Room Management
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We offers dozens of classes per year across the U.S. and Canada, taught by current and former law enforcement officials with extensive real-world experience in management of property and evidence. This two-day course is ideal for those responsible for, or actively involved in, the operation, supervision or management of a Property and Evidence Unit. All training topics address best business practices and professional standards.
Registration to any 2-Day class now includes the digital download of
"Property and Evidence By The Book" 2nd Edition.
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Supervisor Classes 2021
April
Commerce City, Colorado
May
Salem, Oregon
NEW Clerk of the Courts Class
August
Hanover, Virginia
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2-Day Classes 2021
April
Commerce City, Colorado
Burbank, CA
Hammond, Louisiana
May
Salem, Oregon
June
Topeka, Kansas
Lawrence, IN
October
Virginia Beach, VA
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Need Training Right Now?
IAPE also offers ONLINE TRAINING
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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).
*Registration to any 2-Day class now includes the digital download of
"Property and Evidence By The Book" 2nd Edition.
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Got a Job? Need a Job?
IAPE is delighted to announce that we have a new section for posting a job announcement or checking job opportunities.
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Become a Certified Evidence Specialist
Along with the IAPE's extensive evidence training courses, the IAPE offers our members the opportunity to become Certified Property and Evidence Specialists.
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IAPE | www.IAPE.org | 800-449-4273
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