Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
9.5 Property Management: Acquired and In -custody Property
9.5.7 Perishable Evidence (Revised: 5/10/23 )
All body fluids are bio -hazardou s. When handling items that contain or may contain body fluids,
procedures for handling potential bloodborne pathogen materials (G eneral Order s Section 4.4,
“Bloodborne Pathogen Rule/Exposure Control Plan”) will be strictly followed.
A. Refrigerated Property
Two refrigerators are located in the Property Intake Room for temporary storage of
perishable items, such as urine and blood samples and sexual assault kits. Under normal
circumstances, sexual assault kits will be held at SFGH or , if collected at a location other
than SFGH , transported to the San Francisco Coroner’s Office. A constant temperature
between 30 degrees and 38 degrees Fahrenheit shall be maintained. Evidence from a
criminal investigation that requires refrigeration will be transferred to the Evidence Room
refrigerator for long -term storage.
B. Wet Clothin g/Property
Wet clothing and other wet material s, such as leather or documents, degrade when not
properly dried. When submitting wet items, the officer will contact an Evidence and
Records Technician to collect and transport the items ; they a re not to be subm itted in to an
evidence locker. The Evidence and Records Technician will dry the wet items in the
Evidence Room. Once dried, the Evidence and Records Technician will package, mark
and seal the items in a paper container and note on the Evidence Form the act ion taken.