The short answer is yes.
It turns out that misplacing evidence is not that uncommon and the consequences can be devastating. A recent case in Santa Fe, Texas, required dismissing murder charges against a woman when the county prosecutors could not find crucial pieces of evidence in time for the trial. Hours after the dismissal, the misplaced evidence was found, but the accused had already been dismissed from jail. A few days later the woman was re-indicted for murder, but at what cost to the victim’s family and prosecutors?
When a defendant is charged with possession of something illegal such as stolen property or a gun, he has the right to have it produced in court. The jury must see it. The court must rule that it is what it purports to be. But, if the evidence cannot be produced, then what?
Controlling evidence smoothly requires necessary protocols such as good training, tickler files, coding, tracking, inventory, and purging.
No doubt that automating evidence management saves time and allows for more effective use of property room personnel. But dedicated software inventory and tracking products can be costly, cumbersome, and require IT support. Unlike these pricey systems, GoCodes Asset Tracking, the innovative, cloud-based system, lets you track and manage your evidence from day one. There’s no software to install, no apps to download, no hardware to purchase, no custom labels, no IT support, and no significant up-front cash investment. You can use your smartphone as an inventory tracker for scanning your codes. You access GoCodes Asset Tracking cloud-based tracking website from your laptop, smartphone, or tablet browser. By using a smartphone as an inventory tracker for scanning your codes, you can start right away. Learn more about levels of service and options for customization. Then test run GoCodes Asset Tracking for free!
Sources:
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/lost-evidence-lost-case/
http://www.policemag.com/channel/technology/articles/2013/02/electronic-evidence-management.aspx
