Title
Review the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office request to replace Property/Evidence Lockers, to become compliant with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), utilizing the Sourcewell Agreement #110923-SPC to contract with Systems and Space Inc., in the amount of $121,920.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Capital Improvement Committee:
Review the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office request to replace Property/Evidence Lockers, to become compliant with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), utilizing the Sourcewell Agreement #110923-SPC to contract with Systems and Space Inc., in the amount of $121,920.
SUMMARY:
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is working to become compliant with POST and follow recognized best practices established by the California Association for Property and Evidence, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and the International Association for Property and Evidence. These organizations provide guidance regarding evidence room design, temporary evidence storage, security features, and evidence handling procedures.
DISCUSSION:
The Evidence Unit's current evidence intake locker system is more than 40 years old and consists of traditional slam-shut lockers that no longer meet the operational needs of the Sheriff's Office. The current system contains 45 evidence intake lockers; however, approximately 10 lockers are inoperable due to age and wear. In addition, two lockers are designated exclusively for wet or biological evidence requiring drying prior to processing when the Property Technician is unavailable or after normal business hours.
The limited number of functional lockers has created operational challenges for the Property/Evidence Unit. On multiple occasions, the Property Technician has been required to work overtime or respond on scheduled days off to empty intake lockers and process evidence so that deputies have secure lockers available for incoming evidence. These delays reduce operational efficiency, increase overtime costs, and can delay the timely transfer of evidence into the secured evidence management system. Any unnecessary delay in processing evidence increases the potential for chain-of-custody concerns and may negatively affect criminal investigations and prosecutions. The installation and new design of the new Property/Evidence Lockers would add sufficient capacity to eliminate the need to come in after hours to empty lockers.
It is the goal of the Property/Evidence Unit to align with these recognized industry standards to improve evidence security, enhance operational efficiency, and support the Sheriff's Office's long-term objective of achieving professional accreditation.
To address the deficiencies of the current system, the Evidence Unit has developed a redesigned evidence locker system that maximizes the existing footprint while significantly increasing functionality. The proposed design would increase evidence intake capacity from 45 lockers to 63 standard lockers, while also adding six dedicated refrigerated lockers for temperature-sensitive evidence. This increased capacity would provide deputies with additional secure evidence storage while reducing delays associated with limited locker availability.
The proposed locker system would also incorporate several features that are absent from the current system but are consistent with current industry’s best practices. These include:
• Dedicated refrigerated lockers for DNA and other temperature-sensitive evidence.
• Secure digital or keyed locking mechanisms for improved evidence security.
• Correction ("go-back" or "trouble") lockers that allow deputies to retrieve evidence requiring packaging or documentation corrections at any time, without requiring coordination with the Property Technician.
• Temporary storage lockers provide deputies with a secure location to store evidence if they are interrupted by emergency calls while in the process of booking evidence.
Currently, the Sheriff's Office utilizes a residential refrigerator secured with a padlock to temporarily store refrigerated evidence because the existing locker system’s refrigerated storage failed over 1-year ago. Although this provides a temporary solution, it does not reflect current industry’s best practices for evidence security or evidence handling.
Likewise, the absence of dedicated correction lockers creates unnecessary inefficiencies. Deputies occasionally need to retrieve evidence to correct packaging, complete documentation, or sign required receipts before final submission. Without designated correction lockers, deputies and the Property Technician must coordinate schedules to exchange evidence, resulting in unnecessary delays. Dedicated correction lockers would provide deputies with secure 24-hour access to evidence requiring corrective action while maintaining proper accountability.
The existing locker system also presents an employee safety concern. Because the locking mechanisms are located toward the front of the upper lockers, the Property Technician must routinely use a step stool and an extended tool, such as a screwdriver, to reach and unlock the lockers. This process creates an unnecessary risk of falls, strains, and other workplace injuries. Modern evidence lockers utilize locking mechanisms that are more safely and efficiently accessed from the rear of the locker door, eliminating this hazard.
Replacing the current evidence intake locker system would provide long-term operational benefits to the Sheriff's Office by improving evidence security, increasing locker capacity, reducing overtime costs, enhancing employee safety, and better aligning the Evidence Unit with recognized professional standards. The proposed system represents a long-term investment that will improve efficiency for both deputies and Evidence Unit personnel while supporting the Sheriff's Office's continued efforts toward accreditation.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT/COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
The Department of Public Works, Facilities & Parks, the Monterey County Department of Probation, and the District Attorney’s Office support this project.
FINANCING:
The Sheriff’s Office will absorb the cost for this contract, funds from the following accounts will be utilized: Gang Task Force 1001-30103-GTF $23,569.56, CA Asset Forfeiture: 1001-30091-CAAF $44,892, CALMMET: 1001-30093-CALM $17,834.10 and Civil Vehicle Maintenance Fund: 1001-30098-CVVM $35,624.34. There will be no increase in general fund contributions as a result of this board action.
Prepared by: Arthur Curtright, Ext#3708
Reviewed by: Eric Bixler, Chief Deputy, Ext#3754
Reviewed by: Keith Boyd, Undersheriff, Ext#3859
Approved by: Tina M. Nieto, Sheriff/Coroner, Ext#3750
Attachments:
Systems and Space Inc. Proposal
Evidence Locker Floor Plan Design