Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
1
9.6 Release and Final Disposition of Property and Evidence
9.6.5 Inspections/Inventories/Audits (Revised: 5/10/23 )
The UCSF Police Department inspects, inventories and audits property and evidence as needed
but minimally when ever there is a new Evidence and Records Technician . A semi-annual
inspection by the PSD Commander and annual announced and unannounced audit inspections
are conducted. When items of property or evidence are inspected/inventoried/audited , a notation
shall be made on the inspection form. The person completing the inspection, inventory or audit
will write a report detailing the property and paperwork reviewed, including problems corrected
or a contingency plan to correct any deficiencies , as appropriate , and forward the report to the
Chief of Police via the chain of command. A copy of the report will be maintained by the PSD
Commander .
A. A scheduled inspection of the Property and Evidence Rooms and storage facilities will be
made at least once each month. The PSD Commander or designee shall conduct this
inspection to determine if they are being maintained in a clean and orderly fashion, that
the provisions of the General Orders are being followed, that property is being protected
from damag e or deterioration that property accountability procedures are being
maintained and that property or evidence having no further evidentiary value is being
disposed of in accordance with the law and Departmental policy. These inspections shall
be documented in the Property Inspection Log.
B. New Evidence and Records Technician Inventory
Whenever a new Evidence and Records Technician is appointed, an inventory of property
and evidence will be completed. The inventory will be performed by the newly appointed
Evidence and Records Technician, a current or outgoing Evidence and Records
Technican and a third person assigned by the Chief of Police. All weapons, monies and
narcotics will be inventoried individually. 100 other pieces of evidence and
corresponding records from the main Evidence Room will be randomly inventoried for
accountability. If possible, when an Evidence and Records Techn ician is leaving the role,
he/she will give the new Evidence and Records Technician two weeks of training to
ensure an orderly change -over and maintain the integrity of the system. When a new
Evidence and Records Technician is designated, the alarm code to the Property Room
shall be changed.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
2
C. Semi -Annual Inspection to Determine Adherence to Procedures
Once every six months, the PSD Commander or designee will inspect the Evidence and
Property Rooms. This inspection will determine if proper record keeping, accountability
of property, proper storage, cleanliness and disposal methods are being followed by
reviewing at least four cases. The inspection will also verify that the weight scale at the
Property Intake Area is accurate and refrigerator temperature is between 30 and 38
degrees Fahrenheit.
D. Annual Audit
1. An annual audit of the Evidence and Lost and Found Property Rooms will be
completed by a manager designated by the Chief of Police. Neither the designated
manager nor any member of an inspection t eam will be connected with the routine
control of property. This audit is for the purpose of ensuring the integrity of the
system, not to account for every item in the Evidence and Lost and Found Rooms.
All containers of narcotics and dangerous drugs shall be inspected for tampering
as a safeguard against substitutions.
2. The annual audit shall ensure the security, accuracy and integrity of all narcotics,
weapons and the safe contents is maintained by doing an individual inventory of
all these items.
a. The audit includes an inspection of the property records to ensure that all
controlled substances, money and weapons received have been properly
documented. The inspection of property is conducted to determine that no
drugs, weapons or money have been lost or checked out for an
unreasonable length of time.
b. The inspection team members are authorized to open controlled substance
packages in the presence of an Evidence and Records Technician to verify
weight/count of drugs and, if necessary, conduct a qualit ative analysis by a
chemist. These packages will be resealed with red evidence tape and the
seal initialed and dated by the inspectors in the presence of an Evidence
and Records Technician . A record of the inspection will be made in the
case report and wil l include the date/time opened, the purpose for opening
the package and the persons inspecting. Drugs that have not been to court
will not be opened until after the trial or receiving the permission of the
District Attorney.
c. The inspection team members are authorized to open, in the presence of an
Evidence and Records Technician , packages containing money and/or
jewelry to verify contents and amount of cash. The inspectors must follow
the guidelines as outlined above for repackaging and documentation.
3. Any problems/concerns discovered during the audit shall be noted by the auditor
in a final report to an Evidence and Records Technician to fix.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
3
E. Unannounced Inspections
An unannounced inspection of the Evidence Room will occur annually , as directed by the
Chief of Police. This inspection will include a random comparison of records with
physical property to ensure the accuracy of records.