ASTM_E_1459_-_13.pdf

Designation:E145913Standard Guide forPhysical Evidence Labeling and Related Documentation1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1459;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide describes methods to be used for labelingphysical evidence collected during field investigations;re-ceived in a forensic laboratory;or isolated,generated,orprepared from items submitted for laboratory examination.1.2 Many types of physical evidence may be hazardous.It isassumed that personnel assigned to the collection,packaging,storing,or analysis of physical evidence will take precautionsas appropriate to the evidence.1.3 This guide offers a set of instructions for performing oneor more specific operations.This standard cannot replaceknowledge,skill,or ability acquired through appropriateeducation,training,and experience and should be used inconjunction with sound professional judgment.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E1188 Practice for Collection and Preservation of Informa-tion and Physical Items by a Technical InvestigatorE1492 Practice for Receiving,Documenting,Storing,andRetrieving Evidence in a Forensic Science Laboratory3.Summary of Practice3.1 Any individual item of evidence is marked with anumeric or alphanumeric designation that is unique and allowsthe origin of the item to be unequivocally established.4.Significance and Use4.1 By following the procedures specified in this guide,anyitem of physical evidence will have a traceable audit trail bywhich the origin,past history,treatment,and analysis of theitem can be determined.4.2 By following these procedures,the chain of custody ofany item of physical evidence will be maintained and docu-mented.5.Marking Evidence Upon Original Collection5.1 General Requirements:5.1.1 See Practice E1188 for the collection and preservationof items.Each item of evidence will be assigned a uniquenumeric or alphanumeric designator by the investigator whocollects the evidence,or by someone designated to assign itemnumbers.The system used should ensure that items cannot beconfused physically,and cannot be confused when referred toin records or other documents.5.1.1.1 Similar evidence items may be collected as a groupand assigned a single designator(for example,remains offireworks paper collected within Sampling Quadrant 3,metalshavings from under lathe,pieces of broken glass from aroundnorthwest kitchen window,droplets of metal from area oforigin).Follow the guidelines in Section 6 if any portion of theitem is isolated from the remainder of the group(like forinspection,spot testing,or chemical analysis).5.1.2 Whenever possible,sequential identifiers will be usedfor evidence associated with a particular incident,event,orscene.5.1.3 The location and condition of each item should bedocumented prior to collection.5.1.4 Each item should be properly protected in an appro-priate manner.5.1.5 Each item or its proximal container shall be marked ortagged with the following information:5.1.5.1 Item number,5.1.5.2 Case or incident number,5.1.5.3 Identification of person who collected item,5.1.5.4 Date item collected,and5.1.5.5 Brief description.5.1.6 If possible,the evidence should be sealed in a tamper-evident container.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E30 on ForensicSciences and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E30.11 on Interdisciplin-ary Forensic Science Standards.Current edition approved Feb.15,2013.Published March 2013.Originallyapproved in 1992.Last previous edition approved in 2005 as E1459 92(2005).DOI:10.1520/E1459-13.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 5.1.7 See Practice E1492 for further information on pack-aging and storing the evidence.5.2 The following procedures are intended as an example ofa procedure that will satisfy the requirements of 5.1.They maybe adapted to the requirements of a specific incident or agencyas required.5.2.1 At each scene,assign one individual to package,label,and inventory evidence.5.2.2 Give each scene a separate identification number oralphanumeric.This may be the same as the incident or reportnumber,or may be a combination of an incident or reportnumber and a scene