Store clerk?  Custodian?  I don't think so.

In the past, the Evidence Bureau was a dumping ground for misfits, friends of the Chief or Sheriff who couldn't be placed anywhere else, or those who just couldn't make it in other areas of the department.

Recently, however, it has been discovered that personnel who are assigned to the evidence function play a far more important role than just receiving, cataloging and storing property and evidence.  This is not to say that clerks, custodians or people with similar job titles aren't important to the operation of any department.

The job of Evidence Specialist has taken a drastic turn over the last several years.  Just as one of the most notorious criminal trials in American history was being played out on every television set across the country, it became apparent to Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Prosecutors that we were not paying enough attention to how evidence was being processed and maintained.  It was very clear that the methods of collecting, marking, receiving, storing and maintaining evidence had changed.  It sent managers scrambling to train their employees to properly care for property and evidence.

No longer could we package evidence in the first sandwich bag we found in the trunk of our patrol car, or the paper bag we got at the grocery store.  No longer could we find a desk drawer, closet or some remote comer of our office for storage of the evidence we had collected.

It was discovered that this evidence had to be cared for by trained professionals in a professionally designed and maintained setting.

The containers used to collect this evidence had to protect it from any contamination as well as preserve it for future forensic testing.  The method of storage had to conform to scientific guidelines to protect it from the possibility of being contaminated.  With the introduction of DNA and other exact forensic sciences, we had to scramble to obtain refrigeration units and freezer units to handle the thousands of samples.

We as Evidence Specialists are called upon continually to testify in court by defense attorneys whose sole purpose is to discredit the manner in which we have cared for a piece of evidence after its collection.  They will question every move that is made with the evidence, to the storage, from there to the lab, and on its return.  They know that in the past there was very little training for us, and that we are most likely an easy target.  They want to find, no, they must find, a weak link in your ability to maintain the integrity of each and every piece of evidence to save their clients.

This is why we as Evidence Specialists must attend as much training as possible.  We must continue to update our policy and procedures to comply with regulations set forth by OSHA or our State.  Our procedures must change each time they do not comply with what our system of justice thinks is proper.

We must be sure that we are not that weak link in the prosecution's chain, but the strongest link, the one that holds the chain together.

Evidence Specialist: it's not just a technical position any longer.  It's no longer a dumping ground.  You have got to get excited; join professional organizations that are there for the purpose of promoting your profession and offering you training.

Evidence Specialist!  You have to demand the RESPECT you deserve.