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' Comprehensive Physical and Procedural Audit of the Evidence and Property Control System <br /> The audit of property recorded as having been disposed of by the Department will test compliance with <br /> Department standards and sound evidence and property management practices for documenting <br /> disposals. This will include a review of applicable disposal authorizations, and signatures and <br /> identification of property owners claiming recovered property. This strategy is necessary to provide <br /> documentation adequate to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the past and current status of <br /> the Property Control System and the items of evidence and recovered property stored in the system. <br /> • Intake/ Disposal Analysis: to the extent the necessary data are readily available, a multi-year <br /> property intake and disposal analysis will be conducted. <br /> The multi-year trends are particularly valuable in determining the past, and projected future, increases in <br /> the volume of property and evidence in custody. This analysis can identify future potential storage <br /> problems and the extent to which past property disposal rates have been adequate to prevent <br /> unnecessary storage accumulation and associated evidence security problems. <br /> Procedural Audit <br /> A comprehensive procedural audit will be conducted to assess the DepartmenYs physical security of the <br /> evidence control system including, but not limited to, temporary and long-term storage of physical <br /> evidence. The proposed procedural audit will also assess the sufficiency of formal and informal <br /> (undocumented) policies and procedures associated with the management of the evidence and property <br /> control system. <br /> The work plan outlined below incorporates audit objectives and tasks intended to derive findings and <br /> conclusions regarding the extent to which the Decatur Police Department has adopted commonly <br /> accepted professional stan,dards—CALEA, IAPE, Illinois Police Accreditation Coalition (I-PAC), American <br /> Bar Association (ABA)---associated with evidence and property management. To the extent the Police <br /> Department has not adopted such standards, or the extent to which standards and procedures can be <br /> strengthened, specific, prioritized recommendations will be formulated to address the audit findings and <br /> conclusions. <br /> Audit Objectives <br /> Specific objectives that will guide the direction and work effort of this audit include: <br /> 1. A random physical audit of firearms, narcotics, currency and jewelry documented as in the <br /> custody of the Decatur Police Department and associated records. <br /> 2. A comprehensive random audit of other classifications of property and evidence with economic <br /> value based upon a statistically representative sample of items within these classifications. <br /> 3. A procedural audit of the Police Department's policies and procedures—both formal and <br /> informal (unwritten)—associated with the secure temporary and long-term storage of physical <br /> evidence and recovered property, the processing, security and disposal of physical evidence. <br /> Audit Methodologies <br /> In conducting this audit, a number of data collection and analytical methods will be used, including: <br /> 1. Review all available written policies and procedures, personnel directives, completed report <br /> forms, files and other documentation associated with the above cited Audit Objectives and <br /> compliance with Illinois and federal statutes and regulations. <br /> _- ---.......--------- -- Page 2 <br />