The biological evidence preservation handbook : best practices for evidence handlers ; technical working group on biological evidence preservation

Abstract

This report is divided into five main sections that detail issues and make recommendations related to biological evidence storage, tracking, preservation, and disposition. A glossary, which provides standard definitions of the technical terms used in this report, follows these sections. RETAINING BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE While most states have established their own statutes and/or policies for biological evidence retention, some have not. It is imperative that high-level guidance be given to biological evidence handlers regarding the circumstances under which evidence must be kept. This section defines recommended best practices for retaining biological evidence, including the length of time such evidence should be kept. It also provides guidance on identifying what biological evidence should be retained. BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE HAZARDS AND HANDLING Contact with bodily fluids can spread disease such as those caused by bloodborne pathogens, and individuals handling biological evidence should treat it as hazardous to ensure safety. This section offers recommendations on various aspects of biological evidence handling, including the use of personal THE BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE PRESERVATION HANDBOOK v v protective equipment (PPE), Federal standards, the management of spills or accidents, and biological waste disposal. PACKAGING AND STORING BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE The use of well-defined procedures for packaging, storing, and tracking can maintain biological evidence integrity for testing. Personnel involved in managing biological evidence often face challenges because of the size and location of the storage facility, supplies available for packaging, adequacy of tracking systems and resources, and other issues. This section identifies current best practices to maintain evidence integrity from initial packaging to final disposition. CHAIN OF CUSTODY AND EVIDENCE TRACKING Providing an accurate and complete chain of custody record ensures that the evidence that arrives in court is what was collected at the crime scene. An accurate chain of custody identifies and tracks the evidence from the time it was collected-including the method by which it was obtained-through final disposition for each individual who had possession and responsibility. This section discusses various evidence tracking systems and recommends procedures to improve all aspects of chain-of-custody recordkeeping. EVIDENCE DISPOSITION Jurisdictions face limitations because of storage space and preservation requirements and must make choices about when to keep or how to dispose of certain evidence. This section makes recommendations for best practices, policies, and procedures to decide what evidence needs to be retained and the length of time it needs to be retained in accordance with applicable statutes. Technical Working Group on Biological Evidence Preservation vi vi just one consideration, albeit a critical one, in a larger system of evidence storage; therefore, the group has put forward some recommendations that can also be applied to other forms of evidence preservat...

Forensic proteomics

“…The identification of body fluids is an essential component for crime scene reconstruction, establishing forensic context, and corroboration [1,7]. Each body fluid has a distinctive combination of proteins and small molecules [18].…”

“…The handling, transfer and analysis of biological evidence is integral to forensic science [1]. With a few exceptions the dominating component of evidence is protein and it is the matrix that contains other forensically relevant biomolecules, particularly DNA but also other molecules as J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f well [2].…”

U.S. initiatives to strengthen forensic science & international standards in forensic DNA

“…NIJ has also partnered with NIST to produce guidance documents on latent print examination [ 39 ] and biological evidence preservation [ 40 ]. The February 2012 document on human factors in latent print examination represents a multi-year effort from a 35-member expert working group that produced 34 recommendations and detailed process maps to improve the practice [ 39 ].…”

“…The February 2012 document on human factors in latent print examination represents a multi-year effort from a 35-member expert working group that produced 34 recommendations and detailed process maps to improve the practice [ 39 ]. The April 2013 document on biological evidence preservation came from a technical working group of 22 members and provides 28 recommendations covering issues surrounding retaining biological evidence as well as packaging and storing it [ 40 ].…”

Comparison of DNA yield after long-term storage of Second World War bone samples

“…Optimal sample storage is of paramount importance in forensic genetics laboratories since it enables successful recovery of DNA from forensic samples, especially from old bones that contain very low amount of severely degraded DNA [1]. In skeletonized missing person identification cases, bone sample is routinely stored at -20°C for longterm storage [2]. The main purpose of freezing the samples is to minimize DNA degradation, resulting in loss of cell integrity, quality and quantity of genomic DNA [1].…”