What do you want the system to do? Determine all the things you may ever want your system to do.

Are there special searches such as looking for a suspect by name, or evidence by booking officer, case number, location, etc. required by your agency?

Does the system under consideration have the ability to generate letters (to owners) expediting the return of items? Ask to have this ability demonstrated. Does the letter look "good"? Can it be customized to meet the needs of your agency? Will you need a specific printer to obtain the same appearance?

Can you "flag" items by date? Can you generate a list of items to research for disposal? What will be your retrieval considerations? If, for example, a list of all misdemeanor cases held over 1 year needs researching, can the computer seek out, locate and prepare the list?

Is the barcode system versatile? Can the program be adjusted to meet the needs of your agency and the property room?

Is the system flexible? Can the system be easily adjusted later to add more categories or locations if needed?

Get a stand alone system. PC's these days can hold millions of pieces of information. If the system permits the off-loading of information to a main frame computer, your information is safe from tampering. It still provides the opportunity for other members of the agency to view the items, while heightened security protects files. The agency is essentially looking at a copy of the file information. The original is tamper-protected.

Be certain that any modem used is under very strict and limited controls. Be cautious about vendors nighttime updates or upgrades via modem. A modem gives someone access to your computer operation virtually without supervision. When the property room is closed the computer should be shut down!

Often times it is less expensive to purchase the hardware separately. Hardware is defined as computer, monitor, printer, etc. The mechanical parts of the system. If you decide to purchase through a vendor specify "NO SUBSTITUTIONS PERMITTED". Otherwise you may end up paying premium IBM prices for a lower grade "compatible" computer.

Bar codes are read by a laser reading unit. Some are attached to the computer, some are stand alone readers that can be downloaded. GET A FREE STANDING LASER BAR CODE READING UNIT.

Getting a laser wand attached to the computer is cheaper but defeats the entire purpose of using bar coding. An attached wand requires you to move every item to the computer every time you process it (intake, to and from courts, disposal).

Consider a company that is not a one-person operation. The owner is the company president, the salesman, and the technician. If something happens to the owner you may have a system that is without support and is instantly outdated.

What is the providers service record?

If a small company has several systems go down at once, will your agency be on hold at the end of the line waiting for the owner/ salesman/ president/ technician to come fix it? Ask references about how often system failures have occurred and how long it took to get the system up again. You may wish to look very carefully at the service records and referrals of companies owned by a sole owner.

Is the vendor/company large enough to be accountable for contracts?

Several years ago, a bar code company offered lifetime support and upgrades for the evidence tracking system they sold. When the company got into a financial bind they simply changed the name on the system, and told agencies they would have to pay $250 a year (price has continued to go up) or they would not receive any more support or upgrades. It put a lot of money-strapped agencies in a hard place but since they changed the name of the product, it was legal. Small companies with individual owners can provide a good product but service and repairs can run into delays. Make certain the company you select can live up to the agreement made.

Carefully check references from each company before committing to any purchase. Ask a few important questions when talking to the agencies listed. Sometimes two agencies may have had a totally different experience of a bar code vendor. Consider asking each reference agency some (or all) of the following questions:

Is this the first barcode system you have used?

Consider that it is not uncommon for large agencies to go through several bar code systems to find one that worked well for the agency. Few agencies can afford to replace a bar code system if it doesn't meet the needs of the agency. Checking references helps find the right system that will meet the needs of an agency on the first try!

Have you had problems with downtime?

How many times have you had to wait for the bar code program to be repaired?

How long does it usually take to get the system up and running again?

Well supported bar code systems should not have much down time. If a vendor asks for someone to come in on a Saturday (after waiting several days for repair), it is an indication that they are trying to do repairs on weekends and sales during the week. Often this leads to several weeks of waiting for a repair that may generate another problem. Only during a rare emergency should repairs be permitted after normal property room hours. Call each law enforcement agency listed as a reference! Then ask if they know what other agencies are using the same system and call every name you hear.

How long have you had your barcoding system?

When did the problems (if any were described) take place?

Some vendors/companies had growing pains (late 1980's) but learned from experience and improved the service they offer. If another agency indicates they had serious service problems with a company within the past 2-3 years eliminate them from consideration.

Were there any other systems you looked at?

Why did you select this bar coding system over another system?

The reasons may vary but it will tell you a lot. Often times the reasons have to do with contractual, financial or service related problems within a company.

Has the system been able to keep up with any expansion in the size of the agency?

Do you think the barcode system selected will meet the future needs of the police department?

For example: Many agencies find some bar code programs are not flexible enough to meet the needs once the department expands beyond 150 officers. Middle sized to large agencies want systems that can adjust to the forms they use on a department wide basis. It can lead to problems if the bar code program requires the agency to adjust forms to the program instead of the program adjusting to the forms already in use by the agency.

Have audits and/or inventories been considered?

Audits have been done on a number of property rooms that use various systems. Nashville (Metro) Police implemented a bar code system last year. Even with 1,088 officers bringing in evidence, Sgt. Sage of Nashville Metro is sold on the effectiveness and efficiency of bar coding. Ask how the bar code system will make audits easier and faster.

The system your agency selects should fit perfectly into the current property system your agency has established to manually track evidence. No bar code system should require you to revamp or discard your current system. There are many good systems available; if one doesn't fit, search for another. When you decide to implement the new automated system, avoid going back and reentering all of the old evidence. Purge everything possible. Select a specific case number (95-90000) or date (Oct. 1, 1995) and begin bar coding. Everything after that date will be on bar code, everything prior will be on manual. It makes it easy for property staff to know where to look for information. 

The following items should be barcoded from old evidence:

- should/must be bar coded are homicide cases, items held in safe (money/jewelry)

- strongly recommended are firearms that have not been purged within one year of implementing the bar code system.