Preserve Key Evidence with Evidence Drying Cabinets

Understanding the Blood Drying Process

An evidence drying cabinet works with an internal blower that produces airflow to speed up the drying process. The airflow exhaust filters through a carbon and HEPA filtration system. Those filters help protect law enforcement officials from pathogens in blood or other body fluids.

Forensic drying cabinets are also ideal for securing the chain of custody for air drying biological and blood evidence. This lack of security can compromise an investigation because cross-contamination can occur when drying blood evidence on other surfaces, including examination tables or evidence rooms. These forensic drying cabinets provide a safe and tamper-resistant place for drying blood and storing this evidence.

Evidence drying cabinets feature designs specifically for:

• Ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals handling biohazardous materials
• Reducing the risk of cross-contamination by protecting the integrity of blood evidence
• Effectively drying blood evidence to preserve DNA material

Why Law Enforcement Agencies Should Use Evidence Drying Cabinets

The actions law enforcement agencies and crime scene investigators take at a crime scene play a pivotal role when resolving cases. A careful and thorough investigation is critical to ensure potential evidence is not destroyed or tainted or that they’re not overlooking any potential witnesses. One of law enforcement agents’ most crucial aspects when securing a crime scene is preserving evidence to ensure minimal contamination.

Blood evidence collection goes into a storage bag for biological samples at the crime scene for processing. Before storing blood evidence, it must go through the blood drying process. This wet evidence transports to the blood drying cabinet in plastic, but these materials’ storage should never occur in plastic after it’s dry. Forensic drying areas shouldn’t have exposure to the sun, and they should have temperature controls. Commercially manufactured forensic drying cabinets are the preferred method.

Here are some additional reasons why law enforcement agencies should incorporate forensic drying cabinets into their building and design:

• It prevents any blood evidence from coming into direct contact with sunlight
• Storage for all biological and blood evidence is in a temperature-controlled area.
• Agencies can maintain blood evidence according to ideal storage conditions.
• Allows for frequent monitoring to ensure there are no issues with humidity or temperature
• Maintains the chain-of-custody

Law enforcement officials and crime scene investigators receive evidence in one of two ways – wet or dry. Some evidence must remain in liquid forms, such as blood draw samples. Others, including blood-soaked garments, must be thoroughly dry. That way, technicians can store them for testing in the future.

Failure to dry blood evidence properly can result in the probability of bacterial growth occurring and destroying these materials. That could lead to the preclusion generation of DNA test results. That means the first task anyone handling this evidence should complete is drying it out thoroughly in a blood drying cabinet.

How Evidence Drying Cabinet Improves Efficiency

Because the blood evidence relating to a crime provides information regarding how to solve the case, it is crucial for officials to collect, document, and preserve it correctly. If officials don’t handle this evidence properly, it can destroy or weaken the information necessary for solving the case. For example, blood evidence can establish strong links between suspects and criminal acts. Click to see more public safety storage solutions.

Incorporating blood drying cabinets into a law enforcement agency’s building design allows officials to achieve their goals of preserving blood evidence efficiently. They can present this evidence to judges and juries several years after the criminal act’s occurrence. Crime scene investigators should meet with the crime lab’s forensic scientists to determine the most suitable methods for collecting and preserving blood evidence. That way, they ensure that they collect blood evidence effectively and efficiently.

When forensic labs have access to blood drying cabinets, they do not have to worry about contamination or airflow issues. Instead, the forensic lab technicians know that this blood evidence is drying securely and thoroughly without the risk of contamination. Having that knowledge increases efficiency because lab technicians can process other evidence forms while waiting for blood evidence to dry. Efficiency increases because these cabinets are easy to maintain and customize according to the lab’s needs.

Benefits And Features Of An Evidence Drying Cabinet

Evidence drying cabinets provide cost-effective containment for forensic evidence as constant air flows on the evidence drying racks within the cabinet. These cabinets also isolate and separate evidence between unrelated cases. That way, cross-contamination does not occur.

Additional Benefits Include:

• Ability to use ambient air
• Compact blood drying cabinets help conserve space.
• Maintain the chain-of-custody
• Only those with authorization can remove blood evidence.
• Shortened drying cycle

A blood storage cabinet features several components that can adjust or remove. That way, there’s more flexibility when drying blood evidence. For example, a blood drying cabinet features a removable mesh screen that positions over the floor drain. Technicians will also find a removable drip pan in the cabinet’s base.

Additional Features Include:

• A removable hanging rod
• Door containing a combination lock
• Fine mesh floor screen featuring a magnetic door gasket
• Louvered door vents featuring a replaceable filter
• Stainless steel interiors with double-wall construction and three removable blood drying racks

Contact Southwest Solutions Group for Evidence Drying Cabinets

Southwest Solutions Group® provides innovative solutions to law enforcement agencies needing high-quality forensic evidence drying cabinets. For more information or to speak to an evidence storage specialist, call us at (800) 803-1083 or send us a message today.