Policy Text
Identification Bur eau Page 1 of 3 3 /02.2 (REV 1/07)
Drying Room Use And Maintenance
The purpose of this order is to outline the general responsibil ities of Crime Scene
Investigation Officers using the drying room.
I. General
The drying room is located at t he rear of the Sheriff’s Propert y Warehouse. It will
be used to air-dry wet items of evidence prior to being package d and booked.
II. Access and Usage
A. Access to the drying room is limited to those with security access cards
and knowledge of the alarm code. If the evidence lab staff is not present
in the building, the alarm shoul d be deactivated upon entry, an d
reactivated upon leaving.
B. Items of evidence will be hung in the available drying cabin ets, allowing for
adequate draining and air circulat ion, using the following proc edure:
1. Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suc h
as “double gloves”, mask and goggles.
2. Cut the blue (clean) plast ic tie from the cabinet door
3. Open the cabinet doors by turn ing the upper and lower handle s
first, then the middle handle.
4. Push the “POWER” button on to activate the blower.
5. Place the articles into the cabinet by laying them on the sh elves or
by hanging them on hangers. Leave space between the articles t o
allow proper air circulation.
a. Do not place victim and suspect articles, or articles from
different cases, into the same cabinet.
6. Close cabinet door and turn the middle handle first, then th e upper
and lower handles.
a. To prevent contamination remo ve the “outer” gloves prior to
closing cabinet.
Identification Bur eau Page 2 of 3 3 /02.2 (REV 1/07) 7. Secure the cabinet with a red (in use) plastic tie. Write t he case
number, date and officer/badge number on the red tie.
8. Complete the appropriate dryi ng cabinet log, noting the repo rt
number, date and o fficer/badge number.
C. When dry, items of evidence will be properly packaged, label ed and
placed in the evidence lockers at the Property Warehouse by the original
Officer. Items of evidence wil l not be left longer than three (3) days. The
original Officer will clean the dr ying stalls after each use. To remove the
articles:
1. Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suc h
as “double gloves”, mask and goggles.
2. Cut the red (in use) plast ic tie from the cabinet door.
3. Open the cabinet doors by turn ing the upper and lower handle s
first, then the middle handle.
4. Remove the articles from the cabinet and package them
appropriately.
5. Remove the ceiling filter and butcher paper and package them as
evidence items in t he appropriate manner.
6. Clean the cabinet. 7. Push the “POWER” button off.
8. Close cabinet door and turn the middle handle first, then th e upper
and lower handles.
9. Secure the cabinet with a bl ue (clean) plastic tie. Write t he date
and Officer’s name/badge numbe r on the blue tie.
10. Complete the appropriate dry ing cabinet log, noting the dat e items
were removed and the cabinet cleaned.
III. Cleaning Procedure
A. Put on the protective clothi ng provided; face shield, apron, gloves, boots
and respirator mask. This clothi ng will be hang ing on the dryi ng room
wall.
B. With the shelves in the ‘up’ position, spray disinfectant on all inside
surfaces of the cabinet and under side of shelves. Do not spray the inside
of the door or the ceiling.
C. Lower the shelves and spray the top sides making sure the sp ray coats
the inside holes. Spray t he horizontal rod and hangers.
Identification Bur eau Page 3 of 3 3 /02.2 (REV 1/07) 1. If hangers are badly soiled, r emove and dispose hangers in a bio-
hazard bag.
D. Spray sponge with di sinfectant and wipe do wn the inside of t he door and
the ceiling area.
E. Return shelves to the ‘up’ position. F. Remove gloves and close c abinet door, in the manner mentione d above.
G. Allow the disinfectan t to set for twenty minutes.
H. After 20 minutes replace gl oves and open the cabinet. Wipe down the
cabinet walls and/or shelves if needed.
I. Install a new ceiling filter and replace but cher paper on th e floor of the
cabinet.
J. Remove outer layer of glo ves and close cabinet door.
K. Replace the protective cloth ing on the drying room wall.
L. If the cabinet has been grossl y contaminated with blood, etc ., notify the
C.S.I. Supervisor and re-seal the c abinet with a red (in use) t ag.