Chain of Custody

Chain of custody is the documented, unbroken record of who handled a piece of evidence, when, where, and why, from the moment it is collected at the crime scene until it is presented in court. This documentation proves that evidence has not been altered, contaminated, or tampered with. A break in the chain—any period where evidence was unaccounted for or in unauthorized hands—can lead a judge to declare the evidence inadmissible, potentially collapsing an entire case. Each transfer of evidence between individuals must be documented with signatures, dates, times, and the reason for transfer. Evidence is stored in secure, access-controlled facilities (evidence rooms or lockers) with environmental controls appropriate for the evidence type.