Policy Text
Policy
730 Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
Custody Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/0 4/01, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Clara County Office of the
Sheriff Forensic Evidence - 1
Forensic Evidence
730.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines restricting Adult Custody Health Services
(ACHS) from participating in the collection of forensic evidence to include physical or psychological
data for legal proceedings.
When authorized by law, it shall be the responsibility of the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
to arrange for qualified, trained professionals to collect forensic evidence for legal proceedings.
730.2 POLICY
It is the policy of the Sheriff's Office that ACHS establish and enforce policies prohibiting ACHS
staff from engaging in the collection of forensic evidence or conducting psychological evaluations
for legal proceedings.
ACHS policies shall prohibit ACHS staff from collecting blood or urine for alcohol or drug testing
unless it is for medical purposes and under a physician's order. Custody Bureau staff shall not
assist ACHS in the collection of forensic evidence.
It is the expectation of the Sheriff's Office that ACHS policy prohibit ACHS staff from being involved
in the following procedures for evidence collection, including but not limited to:
(a) Body cavity searches
(b) Psychological evaluations for use in adversarial proceedings
(c) Blood draws or any other lab studies ordered by the court
(d) Any medical procedure, except emergency lifesaving measures
730.3 POLICY REVIEW
This policy shall be reviewed at least once every two years.
730.4 POLICY TRACKING
Date of Origin 01/06/2025
Review Date 04/01/2027
Revision Date
Date Approved 04/01/2025
Effective Date 04/01/2025
Supersedes New Policy
References 15 CCR 1206 (o)
Regulatory Authority 15 CCR 1029
Signature of Issuing Authority
Docusign Envelope ID: 3CEF6FF8-B980-464F-8402-872AA5687792