The City of Mesa is located approximately 5 miles east of the City of Phoenix and has a population of approximately 385,000 people.  The Mesa Police Department has approximately I 100 employees, with approximately 800 of them being sworn.  The Evidence Section has one Supervisor, one Senior Evidence Technician, Seven Evidence Technicians and a Secretary/Data Entry Clerk.

The Mesa Police Department Evidence Section moved from its old location (3,500 square feet in the main police building) into it's new location (a new 18,000 square foot building attached to the main police building) in August of 1996.  Incorporated with the relocation was the installation of high-density shelving (see digital photograph) which provided over 35,000 cubic feet of shelving space.  High density shelving provides the most efficient use of available storage space by reducing the amount of aisles required, thus increasing the number of shelving units available.
 

The Mesa Police Department Evidence Section also ordered plastic and cardboard storage boxes designed to utilized the shelf space as efficiently as possible.  The containers utilize the entire shelf area and the shelves are adjusted so that all available space can be used.

Shelving locations are identified using the shortest possible alphanumeric combination.  This was done to help reduce labeling and placement errors, as well as to reduce the number of keystrokes required when entering the data into the bar code system. 

In 1999 the Mesa Police Department Evidence Section received approximately 42,000 items and disposed of approximately 32,000 items (this figure includes items returned to owners.)  In 1999 the Evidence Section sent to auction 450 property items and 400  bicycles, destroyed 815 firearms and 7,500 drug and paraphernalia items.  

You may contact Lane Darling, the supervisor of the Mesa Police Department Evidence Section, at (480) 644-2826 or snail mail him at 130 N. Robson, Mesa, Az. 85201.