An Impending Crisis: The Property Room Is Full

Many law enforcement agencies are facing the challenge of having no more space to store property and evidence. When property rooms are filled beyond their designed capacity, the results can have a devastating impact on the agency and often on the entire criminal justice system. Agencies lose their ability to properly track, secure, locate, and dispose of property and evidence. Recent headline stories in newspapers and other news media concerning lost evidence in criminal cases have caused embarrassment, having the potential to affect prosecutions and civil litigation adversely. However, the space and storage challenges facing law enforcement agencies today will increase exponentially in the upcoming years because of new state legislation extending the statutes of limitation for the crimes of sexual assault, homicide, and even burglary.