Evidence Handling, Chain of Custody, and Report Writing
What this domain tests
Whether you can move an item from a witness's hand to a courtroom without losing its identity, and whether your report tells a judge exactly what you saw and did.
Chain of custody
- Record who had the item, when, where, and in what condition, at every transfer.
- Photograph the item as received, assign a unique evidence number, seal it, and log the seal number.
- Store in a controlled-access location; each removal and return is logged.
- Digital items: image before analysis, work from copies, preserve metadata, and record a hash value so alteration can be detected.
- Gaps go to the weight of the evidence, not automatic exclusion; the opposing side argues tampering and your log is the answer.
Reports
Structure: case number, client, authority for the assignment, scope, dates and times, persons present, observations, items collected, actions taken, and a conclusion clearly labeled as opinion. Use 24-hour time, quote speech verbatim in quotation marks, and identify people by full name plus role. Keep original handwritten notes; they are discoverable and useful for refreshing memory.
Worked example
A witness hands you a USB drive. Reasoning: log the handover, photograph the drive, assign an evidence number, image the drive, hash it, seal the original, and analyze only the copy. If opposing counsel later challenges authenticity, the hash, the seal log, and your contemporaneous note answer the challenge in three documents.
Traps
- Claiming an unbroken chain automatically makes evidence admissible.
- Destroying rough notes after typing the report.
- Blending opinion into the observation section.
Key points
- Every transfer gets a dated, signed log entry.
- Hash digital evidence and work from copies.
- Chain gaps affect weight, not admissibility.
- Reports separate observation from opinion.
- Preserve original notes and evidence seals.