MSCTC Evidence Handling & Chain of Custody 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'fungible evidence' refer to in law enforcement?
- Evidence that is easily contaminated by touch
- Interchangeable items of the same nature, such as currency or bulk narcotics (Correct answer)
- Evidence that must be kept refrigerated to prevent spoilage
- Digital evidence distributed across multiple storage devices
Correct answer: Interchangeable items of the same nature, such as currency or bulk narcotics
Fungible evidence refers to items like cash or controlled substances where individual units are interchangeable, requiring careful weight or count documentation rather than individual item tracking.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a property receipt given to a suspect when items are seized?
- To allow the suspect to reclaim items from the property room immediately
- To document what was taken and provide legal notification of the seizure (Correct answer)
- To document only high-monetary-value items for insurance purposes
- To satisfy the department's internal auditing requirements
Correct answer: To document what was taken and provide legal notification of the seizure
Property receipts serve as legal notification to the owner of what was seized, fulfilling due process requirements and creating a record of the seizure.
Question 3: How should a digital device such as a cell phone be handled when collected as evidence at a crime scene?
- Power it on to check for relevant content before packaging
- Place it in a standard evidence bag without special precautions
- Isolate it from wireless networks using a Faraday bag and document its power state (Correct answer)
- Upload its contents immediately to a secure cloud service for preservation
Correct answer: Isolate it from wireless networks using a Faraday bag and document its power state
Digital devices must be isolated in a Faraday bag to block network signals that could allow remote wiping or data alteration, and their power state must be documented.
Question 4: Which of the following actions would constitute a break in the chain of custody?
- Transferring evidence with a fully completed transfer form
- Storing evidence in a locked and access-controlled property room
- An officer taking evidence home overnight without authorization (Correct answer)
- Submitting evidence to a certified and accredited forensic laboratory
Correct answer: An officer taking evidence home overnight without authorization
Unauthorized removal of evidence from the secured property room creates an unaccounted gap in custody documentation and could render the evidence inadmissible.
Question 5: What is the best practice when collecting trace evidence such as hair or textile fibers from a crime scene?
- Pick them up with clean fingers and place all samples in one plastic bag
- Use clean forceps and place each sample in a separate sealed paper envelope (Correct answer)
- Vacuum the entire crime scene and sort samples in the laboratory later
- Photograph only, as trace evidence is too fragile to physically collect
Correct answer: Use clean forceps and place each sample in a separate sealed paper envelope
Trace evidence must be collected with clean instruments and packaged separately to prevent cross-contamination between different samples from the scene.
Question 6: Under what circumstances is it appropriate to release physical evidence to the defense attorney?
- Whenever the attorney makes a written request directly to the evidence room
- Only after obtaining court authorization or following established legal discovery protocols (Correct answer)
- Never, as physical evidence is the exclusive property of the prosecution
- Only after the case has been fully closed and all appeals exhausted
Correct answer: Only after obtaining court authorization or following established legal discovery protocols
Defense access to physical evidence must comply with legal discovery protocols or court orders to protect evidence integrity while honoring the defendant's constitutional rights.
Question 7: What is the recommended sequence of steps at a crime scene before any physical evidence is collected?
- Collect fragile evidence first to prevent contamination, then document
- Conduct witness interviews before touching anything at the scene
- Photograph and sketch the entire scene before any evidence is moved or collected (Correct answer)
- Notify the prosecutor before any documentation or collection begins
Correct answer: Photograph and sketch the entire scene before any evidence is moved or collected
Comprehensive photographic and sketch documentation must occur before any evidence is disturbed to permanently capture the original context and position of all items.
MSCTC Evidence Handling & Chain of Custody 2
What does the term 'fungible evidence' refer to in law enforcement?