Evidence Submission

17.4.4.8.2 Proper seals shall include heat seal, tamper indicating seal, tape seal or lock seal. A container is “properly sealed” (the term intact on toxicology submittal forms means properly sealed) only if its contents cannot readily escape and only if entering the container results in obvious damage/alteration to the container or its seal.

17.4.4.8.3 If tape is used to seal evidence, then standard evidence tape shall be initialed (or otherwise identified) to document the person sealing the evidence (scotch tape is not acceptable). Heat sealed and tamper indicating sealed packages shall have initials or other identification across the heat or tamper indicating seal to be properly sealed. Lock seals shall be initialed or otherwise marked to document the person sealing the evidence. Staples do not provide seals. Manufactured seams do not need to be taped and initialed.

17.4.4.8.4 Packaged evidence received by a laboratory, which does not bear the initials or identification of the person sealing the evidence container, is not properly sealed.

17.4.4.8.5 All evidence that requires seals shall be properly sealed by the submitting agency, however exceptions may be made as required. ISP Forensics may provide a proper seal by: (1) placing a piece of evidence tape perpendicularly across the seal with the initials of the person receiving the evidence if the seal is lacking initials. If the seal is not adequate, clear packing tape may be placed over the first seal (this makes it possible to see how the evidence was received), and then evidence tape is placed perpendicularly across the packing tape and initialed to provide the seal or (2) resealing the complete package in a heat sealed envelope or other container with proper initials. Documentation of actions performed to correct the seal shall be noted in the remarks section for the evidence submission. Forensic Services shall ensure that accepted evidence stored in ISP vaults is properly sealed. The items shall be documented as “not sealed” and a description of how a proper seal was provided shall be entered in the “remarks” section of the Quick Create screen of ILIMS and is viewable in the submissions tab.

17.4.4.8.6 Original, non-reproducible comparison samples (e.g. inked fingerprint cards or tire impressions) shall be properly packaged and sealed as evidence for submission to ISP Forensic Services.