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Policy 802Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/23, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentProperty and Evidence - 1Property and Evidence 802.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This policy provides for the proper collection, storage, and security of evidence and other property. Additionally, this policy provides for the protection of the chain of evidence and those persons authorized to remove and/or destroy property. 802.2 DEFINITIONS Property - Includes all items of evidence, items taken for safekeeping and found property. Evidence - Includes items taken or recovered in the course of an investigation that may be used in the prosecution of a case. This includes photographs and latent fingerprints. Safekeeping - Includes the following types of property: •Property obtained by the Department for safekeeping such as a firearm •Personal property of an arrestee not taken as evidence •Property taken for safekeeping under authority of a law (e.g., Welfare and Institutions Code § 5150 (mentally ill persons)) Found property - Includes property found by an employee or citizen that has no apparent evidentiary value and where the owner cannot be readily identified or contacted. Records Management System (RMS) - Electronic system used by the Department to track property 802.3 PROPERTY HANDLING Any employee who first comes into possession of any property shall retain such property in his/ her possession until it is properly tagged and placed in the designated property locker or storage room. Care shall be taken to maintain the chain of custody for all evidence. Where ownership can be established as to found property with no apparent evidentiary value, such property may be released to the owner without the need for booking. An entry into RMS must be completed to document the release of property not booked and the officer shall include to whom the property was released in the narrative of their report. 802.3.1 PROPERTY BOOKING PROCEDURE All property must be booked prior to the employee going off-duty unless otherwise approved by a supervisor. Employees booking property shall observe the following guidelines: Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Property and Evidence Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/23, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentProperty and Evidence - 2(a)Complete entry into RMS describing each item of property separately, listing all serial numbers, owner’s name, finder's name, and other identifying information or markings. (b)After the RMS entry is completed, labels will be automatically generated for each item of property. Officers are to print the evidence/property label and attach it to each package or envelope in which the property is stored. (c)In the event there is a malfunction, officers shall manually complete an evidence/ property tag and attach it to each package or envelope in which the property is stored. (d)Mark each item of evidence with the booking employee’s initials and the date booked using the appropriate method so as not to deface or damage the value of the property. (e)A label shall be placed on the property in the temporary property locker or with property stored somewhere other than a property locker. (f)When the property is too large to be placed in a locker, the item may be retained in the supply room. The property must still be entered into RMS and the booking officer shall indicate the location of the property in the narrative of their report. (g)Open food and/or drinks should not be booked into the property room and shall be disposed in the appropriate trash bin. Before booking any other food/drink into the property room, the officer should consider the expiration of the product and whether the packaged product is susceptible to mold/decay making it inedible and/or a health hazard to store in the property room (i.e. a sealed bottle of water may last up to 90 days/however, a carton of milk will collect mold). 802.3.2 NARCOTICS, ILLEGAL CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, DANGEROUS DRUGS, PARAPHERNALIA AND MARIJUANA The following shall be booked separately and placed in the appropriate Property Unit designated locker: •narcotics •illegal controlled substances •dangerous drugs •marijuana •paraphernalia as defined by Health and Safety Code § 11364 The booking officer shall complete an RMS entry for each booked item. 802.3.3 EXPLOSIVES Officers who encounter a suspected explosive device shall promptly notify their immediate supervisor or the Watch Commander. The Los Angeles County Bomb Squad will be called to Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Property and Evidence Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/23, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentProperty and Evidence - 3handle explosive-related incidents and will be responsible for the handling, storage, sampling and disposal of all suspected explosives. Explosives will not be retained in the police facility. The Fire Department should be called to inspect, transport, and/or store any fireworks, road flares or similar signaling devices. If the devices are evidence and the Fire Department determines they are stable and safe, they may be booked into property or upon the discretion of the on-scene supervisor, the devices may be photographed as evidence before transport to the appropriate storage facility. All such items shall be stored in proper containers and in an area designated for the storage of flammable materials. 802.3.4 EXCEPTIONAL HANDLING Certain property items require a separate process. The following items shall be processed in the described manner: (a)Bod