July 10, 2006 

Lt. Peter Eckert has been employed by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO), New Brunswick, New Jersey for thirty four years. In February 1992, Lt. Eckert was assigned to the MCPO Evidence Unit. In April 1992, he attended a seminar, Managing the Property and Evidence Function (MPEF), sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, in Washington, DC. The instructor was Joseph T. Latta. Lt. Eckert was commander of the Evidence Unit until August 2005 when he was reassigned as commander of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Vertical Prosecution Teams. 

When I was first assigned to the MCPO Evidence Unit the evidence was still recorded in ledger books. The physical evidence was stored in a large vault in makeshift wooden and metal shelves. The evidence was placed in paper bags and other assorted packaging. There had not been an inventory and destruction of evidence in years. There was still evidence on the shelves from the 1960's. Soon after I was assigned to the Evidence Unit we had to move the evidence to a vault that was half the size of the old vault. The move to the new vault allowed us the opportunity to make major changes to how the Evidence Unit operated. Based on information from the MPEF seminar, we were able to develop a written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the unit. The MPEF seminar also provided information on the tracking, packaging, storage and destruction of evidence. We began to store evidence in standardized cardboard boxes. The Evidence Unit personnel began a crash program to destroy as much old evidence as possible prior to the move. The new vault although smaller had a better system of shelving. Using an alphabetical index card system we were able to move the evidence in two days. 

During the disposal of old evidence we averted an accident which would have destroyed the County Courthouse and the Evidence Vault. An Evidence Unit officer was processing evidence for destruction when he found two gallon jugs marked Ether. The officer called me to inquire what he should do with the jugs. I contacted the Middlesex County HazMat Unit. The HazMat Unit evacuated the County Courthouse and called the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad. The Bomb Squad took the two jugs to a near by land fill. When the two jugs were exploded they produced a fifty foot high fire ball. After we moved the evidence into the smaller vault, we realized that we needed a better system for the tracking of evidence. One of the exhibitors at the MPEF seminar had been Software Techniques Inc. In July 1992, I contacted Software Techniques Inc. concerning their Automated Control of Evidence (ACE) program. This initial contact was followed by numerous meetings with other vendors. Finally on May 15, 1995 the MCPO Evidence Unit brought on line its computerized ACE Program. The ACE Program allowed the Evidence Unit to finally track the movement to court, the storage and eventual destruction of evidence. The ACE program also allowed the Evidence Unit to produce statistics on the amount of evidence received and processed. The ACE Program was adaptable enough to conform to the evidence procedures being followed by the MCPO Evidence Unit. The bar-coding system that was part of the ACE Program enabled the Evidence Unit to label the shelves in the new vault. When the ACE Program came on line we upgraded our SOP to reflect the new procedures. In March 2002, the MCPO Evidence Units ACE System was upgraded to WinAce, a Windows based program. 

In October 1996 the Middlesex County Prosecutor Office was advised that it would have to move the Evidence Office from the Middlesex County Administration Building. The Administration Building was going to be torn down and a new Administration Building was going to be constructed. The Prosecutor's Office was not included in the plans for the new Administration Building. The Prosecutor's Office would be located in a new Public Safety Building. In anticipation of the move, the Evidence Unit began to develop plans and a strategy to establish a modern Evidence Unit. Because of space limitations the MCPO Evidence Office had always been separated from the Evidence Vault. When the new Public Safety Building was completed the MCPO Evidence Unit would be two blocks from the Evidence Unit Vault. 

The contributors and advertisers in the IAPE EVIDENCE LOG, provided information on how to plan and build a modern evidence office. The plan for the Evidence Office envisioned the removal of seventy two (72) shelves from the Evidence Vault to provide space for a 15' by 27' office. The Evidence Office was to be built within the Evidence Vault. The main entrance into the Evidence Office was to be the Evidence Vault safe door. The front counter was to be constructed of seven three drawer filing cabinets with a laminated counter top. The original plan called for an electronic operated gate to restrict access to the office. The safe door would be closed and locked if evidence personnel were working in the Evidence Vault. There were to be three workstations for two (2) sworn officers and a Data Entry/ Evidence Technician. The work area required for each person included a workstation, counter area and a table work area. The concrete block walls of the vault were to be basic painted walls. The wall separating the office from the Evidence Vault would be constructed of sheetrock and painted. The sheetrock wall would be built to the ceiling. The door from the Evidence Office into the Evidence Vault was to be a metal security door. The ceiling would be a drop ceiling with lights. The Evidence Vault, HVAC ventilation system would require that the Evidence Office have a negative pressure with fresh air in and exhaust air out of the office area. There would be 7 to 10 changes per hour. The Evidence Vault and Office would need connections for telephone, burglar alarm and smoke/fire alarm systems. The Evidence Office would also need connections for state and county computer operating systems. 

The safe door into the Evidence Office would be alarmed. The door from the Evidence Office into the Evidence Vault would also be alarmed. The Evidence Office would have a silent alarm system so that the Evidence Office personnel could contact the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office, whose officers are in charge of Courthouse security, in the event of an accident or incident. 

The construction of the Evidence Office and Vault did not start until December 2003.  The Evidence Office and Vault were constructed during the renovations of the Middlesex County Courthouse by the Keating Development Company, Bala Cynwyd, PA. Changes were made by the Keating Company as the project progressed. The contractor installed an exhaust fan in existing duct work to remove noxious odors from the vault. The drop ceiling was removed from the plan due to the expense of moving water pipes, lights and ductwork. The size of the office area was reduced because of engineering difficulties. The steel security door between the Evidence Office and the Evidence Vault was replaced with a wood security door. The alarm systems were installed when the Courthouse security systems were upgraded. The Evidence Office and Vault became operational on February 23, 2004.

In March 2004, the Evidence Office safe door received preventative maintenance.  The locksmith advised that locking the safe door from the inside overrode the safety system. Locking the vault door might result in the door being locked from both sides. I again referred to the EVIDENCE LOG for assistance. I contacted the local representative of the WireCrafters Company who presented a proposal for installing a woven wire cage in front of the Evidence Office counters. The cage would restrict access to the Evidence Office and Vault areas. The woven wire cage was installed in May 2004.

I would like to express my gratitude to IAPE Executive Director Joseph Latta, the article contributors and advertisers in the EVIDENCE LOG for their assistance over the years.