Dear IAPE Members and Sponsors,

Our organization exists for the benefit of its members as we offer opportunities to continually improve the professionalism of the property and evidence function of law enforcement. To most clearly address those needs, we encourage the communication with our membership to be in both directions. Here are some examples of that two-way street.

Elaine Barringer is a Records Specialist with the Bellingham, WA Police Department. She wrote to ask if our Property and Evidence Management classes were restricted to those currently in Property Room assignments. The answer is that they are not restricted, and the reason links back to the reason for our existence mentioned above.

To further our professionalism we want to, in fact we need to, expose people in many other disciplines to the principles, issues and goals of our property and evidence function. If your chief or sheriff was acutely aware of your situation and the importance to you, him or her, and law enforcement in general of a property and evidence operation with demonstrated integrity, would it make your life easier? You bet it would! If other people in your department had the same knowledge, would it make your interaction with them easier? Absolutely! If the officers checking out and returning evidence for court, for analysis, or for other follow-up purposes were as conscientious as you are about the documented chain of evidence, would your records be easier to keep up to date? Sure!

So what do we need to do to bring about these miraculous improvements in your working conditions? Educate others! Elaine, we would be glad to have you join in our classes. And when you return to Bellingham, we would hope that you would share the word with others. Criminal prosecutions cannot be successful if your property unit does not perform its job effectively. Failure to do so leads to tragedy. In the pages of this magazine over the past few years we have documented such outcomes as inefficiency, disruption within the department, harming relationships between departments, disciplinary actions, abbreviated careers, terminations, prison sentences, and even suicide. We want all the help we can get to spread the word of property and evidence professionalism!

Specialist Tim Scapin is with the Pinellas County (FL) Sheriff's Office. He is a new member of our Association and wrote to ask if we were marketing I.A.P.E. merchandise. The answer is, "We weren't, but we are now!"

Actually the Board has discussed the issue, and as soon as we can decide on specifications and get production quotations we will begin to produce and advertise some items with the familiar IAPE logo. As we become more professional, and as others have attention drawn to the importance and successes of our profession, we want to share with others our professional identity. Hopefully by the time of our next issue we will have some specific information on IAPE product availability.

On a related issue, your Board has proposed and is developing details of a certification program for Property and Evidence specialists. The success of our Association, the participation in our education programs, and the formation of local and state associations in the property and evidence field all demonstrate the progress we have made. We feel that a certification program may be the single biggest step yet toward recognition of our profession by law enforcement in general. Stay tuned for details!