Steven E Loomis, FAIA and Brittany Naylor Raffin, AIA
“Only 1% of all evidence stored will be presented in court.” - Joe Latta, Executive Director of IAPE
Police departments and officers are increasingly faced with a mountain of evidence and new rules and regulations that impact operations. The technology requirements for these spaces can be complex and require special detailed design. This article is a follow up to our presentation at the Academy of Architecture for Justice Conference 2017 recently held in Cincinnati and is intended to further articulate some the trends and responses in police facility design.
Collaborating with Sergeant Joe Latta (Retired) of the International Association of Property and Evidence (IAPE), an international specialist in property and evidence, it is evident that evidence and property management has become a profession onto itself. Solving the issue of “how much storage do I need” is no longer the mantra for police but rather, “how do I best manage the evidence that I have.” This job includes making sure that the operations and facilities comply with the legislative and standards that apply to evidence handling. Storing the various types of evidence safely and securely, and allowing for quick retrieval, is an important component of the facility design. Finally, we wanted to share a few “best practices” that we have incorporated into the design of our latest police facilities that can enhance the overall efficiency of the evidentiary process.
Design for Property and Evidence Management
As property and evidence management has become a critical element in law enforcement and prosecution, particular attention must be paid to the work flow and processes so that the design can reinforce the inherent security and efficiency required. Every design team should review the industry standards to guide the appropriate design and construction for these facilities.
These standards include the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Chapter 84 Property and Evidence Control. These standards cover the security and control of seized, recovered, and evidentiary property as well as abandoned, lost, or found property in the custody of the agency. Further the IAPE sets forth Property Room Construction Standards (IAPE – Standard Section #5 and #6) which stipulates exterior and interior wall construction, door and window requirements, and ventilation standards.
First let’s cover some of the basic features that should be incorporated into the design for evidence facilities as part of police station design. The public interface should include the service counter for picking up evidence and for evidence viewing (for attorneys). This area may be associated with the main lobby or a separate secure sub lobby. Ideally it is close to the evidence storage areas, but often times are separate due to physical limitation of the layout and site. The public interface should be physically separate from staff and police access. Convenient access from public parking should be provided.
One of the key features in a police station is the staff interface near the main officer entrance (officer hub). It also includes a service counter for picking up evidence to take to court or release at a remote location. The “Bag and Tag” area should accommodate the projected number of officers that may use the area concurrently and include a variety of sizes for the pass-thru evidence lockers. Bulk evidence should be a part of this area for those items too large to store in a locker. DNA and biological evidence needs to be stored in refrigerated lockers in this area as well. Provisions should be made for pass-back lockers where the evidence technician can return evidence to the officer for additional processing or corrections to the evidence package. Lockers may include key drops or slots for valuables.
On the secure side, the packaging and evidence processing areas should be accessible only by evidence officers or technicians and should include space for layout, cataloguing, and packaging evidence. This area would ideally be adjacent to the evidence storage area for workflow efficiency. Workstations for the technicians should be provided here adjacent to the secure side of the officer interface window. A dedicated work area is advised for firearms and money processing, and having this processing area visible from other staff areas is recommended to prevent internal theft.
Evidence Storage is critical to the efficient operations and should be organized to promote ease of access to the evidence. Different types of evidence storage systems should be utilized to maximize the space. Shelves and bins dimensioned appropriately for the various types of evidence storage containers or boxes, needs to be provided. High density (or mobile racks) helps to maximize the available floor area. Building higher shelving can help reduce the footprint of the overall storage as long as proper access to the shelving is provided. Separate secure storage areas are required within the storage area for the following:
- weapons - long guns, pistols and specialized firearms. (IAPE Section 11)
- drugs – separate narcotics and marijuana (IAPE Section 9)
- high value – money and jewelry (IAPE Section 10)
- refrigerated and freezer storage – biological evidence (IAPE Section 7.2)
- hazardous materials evidence – flammables
Walls around evidence storage spaces should be constructed of concrete masonry that extend to the structure, and all penetrations for ductwork should be constructed with bars to prevent entry. Likewise, roof construction should be secure with a metal grating to prevent entry. The drug storage areas in particular require separate air handlers and exhaust, and all conditioned storage areas should have emergency power backup. Given the importance of proper temperature control, it is advised that refrigerated storage be equipped with an alarm system to monitor temperature variations. IAPE Long-Term Storage 7.2 suggests this be monitored 24/7 by the watch commander, officer in charge, and/or from the communications center. Also, future crime lab requirements may require larger quantities of frozen evidence. It is suggested by IAPE 7.2 that the servicing crime lab be consulted for preservation recommendations for long term storage when designing a new facility.
A recent trend is uploading all digital evidence (CD’s, hard drives, etc.) to the cloud. We also noted that there is an increase in evidence being stored due to the “CSI” effect (as a result of the TV show), where more evidence is being collected. On the other hand, some traditional evidence such as fingerprints has lost some creditability while others like bite marks and hair matching are now completely inadmissible as evidence.
Bike Storage (Found Property) may be located next to the evidence area and generally takes up a large volume of space due to the bulk and sheer number of items. The IAPE Section 7.2 advises that bikes be separated by evidence, found property, and safekeeping to facilitate timely purging. It also advices bikes stored internally to avoid potential liability due to weather exposure damage. Destruction and Purging Areas should be adjacent to the storage areas and the loading dock to permit access. Items slated for destruction should be secured to eliminate the possibility of theft. It is also recommended that the loading dock be available for evidence technicians bringing evidence back from district stations.
Factors Influencing Property and Evidence Storage Requirements:
- purging ratio (dependent on facility’s statute of limitations requirements)
- new legislation (mandates for storage of DNA evidence, etc.)
- digital evidence for storage of images (rolls of film, printed pictures)
- scientific advances – some frozen evidence may be stored in temperature controlled environments
- policy adherence – for adequate review and purging
- staffing – lack of staffing to research the cases for possible destruction
So, the question always comes up for the architectural programmer on how much space is required for new facilities. Working with a storage specialist we have found that it is important to prepare an inventory of the current evidence storage needs; both the temporary storage and long term storage. Historical evidence may the biggest hurtle if the client has not adequately purged items. When designing a new facility, it is important to give the evidence technician advanced notice of the move so they have adequate time to prepare and purge backlogged storage.
As mentioned above, often trained additional staff is necessary for tackling historic evidence. Joe Latta, Executive Director of the IAPE, suggests this rule of thumb: “It takes on average 30 minutes to research if a case is purgeable.” IAPE Section 1 discusses staffing requirements. Projection of future needs is based on past experience (number of boxes or shelving units used /year), average cases/year, and on growth projections for the department size.
We have noted a few trends or “best practices” from programming, planning and designing evidence facilities for many years that can be applied to various size projects as follows:
- Providing a separate new building is preferred since this can be a less expensive building type (pre-engineered warehouse) and further removes the threat and risk to the main police station or headquarters. It is recommended that it be located adjacent or nearby the main building and should contain the forensic lab for operational efficiency.
- Consider the need for flexibility and for future growth both internally and externally of evidence storage.
- Remember that evidence and water do not mix. Avoid plumbing fixtures and roof drains over the evidence storage area. Also, provide pre-action sprinklers for fire suppression to avoid the possible accidental discharge of the heads to mitigate water damage.
- All walls surrounding the evidence storage areas need to extend to the underside of the structure to prevent theft of evidence and migration of air particulates from drug storage.
Ongoing trends will continue to impact the design for evidence facilities. As noted above, the use of storage warehouses, some which may be remote and include a regionalization of small departments, is gaining popularity. The use of digital storage in the cloud may allow for the reduction of some storage space although this concept is still being tested for validity in court. The legalization of marijuana in some states may impact the amount of drugs admitted to evidence in adjoining states, at least for the immediate future. Finally, high hazard drugs validate the need for proper standards for processing and storage in order to protect the health and wellbeing of staff.
Evidence storage and operations is an evolving profession and we must remain cognizant of the trends and best practices in order to continue to serve of police clients as their trusted advisor. In the final analysis we must design our facilities to promote efficient handling of evidence and “Maintain Secure Chain of Custody.”
___________________________________________________
Steven E Loomis, FAIA, LEED AP is the Principal for Public Safety Design at AECOM. In his current position, he is responsible for the firm’s public safety projects including space and master planning studies, renovations, additions and new Police, ECC/EOC designs. He has more than 30 years of professional architectural practice, and has promoted programming, planning and design focused on public safety issues. In the past 20 years, he has completed many new police service facilities, and public safety operations centers. He can be reached via email at steve.loomis@aecom.com.
Brittany Naylor Raffin, AIA is an architect in the Public Safety Studio with nine years of experience, providing architectural and interior design services to a variety of clients and project types. Her Public Safety designs includes a county-wide Police Master Plan, including programming and planning for a New Police Headquarters, a Property Management Facility, two District Station Renovations and a New Fire Station. She used her interior and architecture background to complete the interior architecture and interior design for a new 160,000 SF Police Headquarters in Florida. She can be reached via email at brittany.raffin@aecom.com
(Return to the cover of the 2017 AAJ Journal Q4 issue)