1、Designation: E 1492 05Standard Practice forReceiving, Documenting, Storing, and Retrieving Evidencein a Forensic Science Laboratory1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1492; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of r
2、evision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice describes procedures and techniques forprotecting and documenting the integrity of
3、 items of physicalevidence with respect to suitability for scientific testing, andadmissibility as evidence in criminal or civil litigation.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 860 Practice for Examining and Testing Items for TestingThat Are or May Become Involved in LitigationE 1459 Practic
4、e for Physical Evidence Labeling and Re-lated Documentation3. Significance and Use3.1 Prior to being presented in court, a foundation must beestablished showing how evidence was collected, who col-lected the evidence, where it was collected, who has hadcustody of the evidence, how the evidence has b
5、een processed,and when changes of custody have occurred.3.2 If the procedures outlined in this practice are followed,the chain of custody with respect to the evidence while it is inthe custody of the forensic laboratory will be protected.4. Procedure4.1 Identifying the Evidence:4.1.1 When evidence f
6、rom a particular incident is firstbrought to the laboratory, assign it a unique numeric oralphanumeric case number, and use that case number toidentify the submitted evidence and all subsequent items ofevidence submitted from the same incident or case. Laboratorynumbering may adopt similar case numb
7、ers to those assignedby field investigators, consistent with Practice E 1459.4.1.1.1 Record case numbers in a permanent laboratoryrecord along with the following information: case number, datethe case was opened, and the submitter of the evidence.4.1.1.2 If delivered in person, identify the person d
8、eliveringthe evidence and record that persons name in the record of thechain of custody.4.1.1.3 Maintain a record of the chain of custody. Include inthe record at least the following information: case number, itemnumber, description, person submitting the evidence, personreceiving the evidence, and
9、date the evidence was received.4.1.2 If requested, provide a signed evidence receipt to thesubmitter.4.1.3 When a case number is assigned, create a case fileidentified by the case number.4.1.4 In addition to the case number, identify each item witha sequential item number.4.1.5 If evidence received
10、is other than as stated on thecontainer or accompanying documents, or if the condition ofthe evidence is not as stated on the accompanying documentsor container document the discrepancy, and notify the client orsubmitting agency as soon as possible.4.1.6 Retain any packaging material necessary to ma
11、intainthe chain of custody or which may be relevant to the integrityof the evidence.4.2 Documenting Test Procedures:4.2.1 Each individual laboratory shall maintain a currentrecord identifying what evidence is in the laboratory foranalysis, its current status, and the date the evidence isremoved from
12、 the laboratory.4.2.2 Whenever practical, retain in a case file all notes, testdata, and other documentation generated during the inspectionof the sample. Otherwise, keep summary information orphotocopies of original notes in the case file and refer to thelocation of the original documentation.4.2.3
13、 Retain copies of reports generated as the result of theexamination or inspection of evidence in the case file.4.3 Documenting Alteration of Evidence:4.3.1 Do not alter a piece of evidence any more than isabsolutely necessary to obtain a valid analysis.4.3.1.1 It is recognized that there are some ty
14、pes of analyseswhich require the consumption or substantial alteration of theevidence. Carefully document such consumption or alteration1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E30 on ForensicSciences and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E30.11 on Interdiscipli-nary For
15、ensic Science Standards.Current edition approved July 15, 2005. Published August 2005. Originallyapproved in 1992. Last previous edition approved in 1999 as E 149292(99).2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annu
16、al Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.of the evidence. When significant alteration or consumption ofevidence is ne
17、cessary for its evaluation, follow the proceduresset forth in Practice E 860.4.3.2 Whenever possible, and when the accuracy of theanalysis will not be affected, maintain an adequate portion ofthe evidence for testing by other methods or other laboratories.4.3.3 Package samples in containers, and sto
18、re in a mannerwhich will maintain the sample in the same condition in whichit was submitted to the laboratory.4.3.3.1 Different types of samples have different containerrequirements. The individual analyst is responsible for ensur-ing that the sample is properly packaged.4.3.3.2 When requested, the
19、laboratory staff shall provideinstructions to the submitter in proper methods of packagingevidence.4.3.3.3 A laboratory employee competent to evaluate thematerial shall determine whether improper packaging hasdiminished or destroyed the value of the material for laboratoryanalysis.4.3.3.3.1 If an it
20、em is submitted to the laboratory that has noapparent, or diminished, value as evidence, then the laboratoryshall take the necessary steps to preserve the chain of custodyof that item. Notify the submitter as soon as practical.4.3.3.3.2 In the event that the material has value for labo-ratory analys
21、is, the laboratory shall be responsible for ensuringthat the evidence is properly packaged and labeled at the timeof submission.4.4 Storage:4.4.1 Protect and store evidence in an orderly, traceable, andretrievable fashion and in a manner which preserves theintegrity of the evidence.4.4.2 Secure the
22、evidence storage area from unauthorizedentry.4.4.3 Maintain adequate records for all evidence placed inthe evidence storage area.4.4.4 Establish procedures for routine maintenance of thecontents of the evidence storage area.4.4.4.1 When evidence is first placed in the evidence storagearea, specify p
23、rocedures for eventual removal. These proce-dures shall ensure that after a reasonable period of time, thesubmitting agency is contacted requesting instructions fordisposition of the evidence.4.5 Documenting Removal of Evidence:4.5.1 When evidence is to be removed from the laboratoryfor return to th
24、e submitter, for presentation in court, or fordisposal, make appropriate entries in laboratory records.4.5.1.1 The person receiving the evidence from the labora-tory shall be properly identified and shall sign and date areceipt for the evidence. Maintain the signed receipt in the casefile.5. Keyword
25、s5.1 chain of custody; evidence documentation; evidencelabeling; forensic scienceASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the va
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28、e not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).E1492052
