Overview of GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

The Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System secures the lifecycle of physical evidence from collection to transfer, storage, transport, and courtroom presentation. GAO builds this platform using RFID, BLE, or an integrated combination of the two. RFID supports precise tagging, rapid authentication, and reliable scan events at controlled handoff points in evidence rooms, forensic labs, and property units. BLE enables continuous location awareness, zone monitoring, and movement detection across storage vaults and transport corridors. A hybrid design serves agencies needing both strict choke-point validation and ambient monitoring. The system maintains a tamper-resistant record of who handled each item, where it moved, and when custody changed. GAO leverages decades of technical experience in North America to deliver hardened hardware, secure middleware, and scalable architectures tailored to the operational demands of policing, forensics, and judicial environments.

Description, Purpose, Issues Addressed, and Benefits of GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

The Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System manages evidence collection, labelling, authentication, transfer workflows, secure storage, and movement documentation. GAO configures RFID readers, handheld interrogators, BLE gateways, evidence tags, vault antennas, and digital custody consoles to support forensic examiners, property officers, field investigators, and transport personnel.

The system addresses mislabelling, undocumented access, misplaced items, unsigned transfers, weak storage controls, and manual logs that lack evidentiary integrity. Traditional paper workflows create gaps that threaten admissibility. GAO’s system resolves these issues with immutable event chains, user-specific authentication, geo-referenced vault entries, and automatic timestamp enforcement across all custody actions.

Benefits include:

• Full traceability of evidence movement across property rooms, vaults, and forensic labs
• Reduced risk of lost, mishandled, or contaminated exhibits
• Automated custody verification for officers, technicians, and authorized staff
• Strong support for courtroom defensibility with reliable event logs
• Lower administrative workload through streamlined digital workflows
• Higher operational certainty for agencies managing high case volumes

Comparison: RFID Alone vs BLE Alone vs Optional RFID-BLE Combination for GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

RFID-Only Approach

• Offers deterministic read events, controlled choke points, and strong anti-tamper options.
• Suitable for property rooms, transfer counters, sealed lockers, and forensic intake stations.
• Ideal for workflows where precise, point-in-time custody events matter most.

BLE-Only Approach

• Provides broad-area visibility for mobile evidence carts, temporary holding racks, and in-transit containers.
• Supports continuous telemetry inside large forensic campuses, crime labs, and judicial storage wings.
• Works well for dynamic movement tracking and route monitoring.

Optional RFID-BLE Combination

• Useful only when a facility requires both deterministic choke-point reads and wide-area positioning.
• Applied in multi-building workflows where evidence must be validated at handoff points and tracked between distant sectors.
• GAO recommends this configuration only when the operational environment shows clear technical advantage.

Applications of GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

Property Room Intake
Tracks evidence entering custody using secure tagging, automated logging, and controlled reception workflows for high-integrity storage environments.

Forensic Laboratory Routing
Monitors movement of specimens, packaging, and digital media between examination benches, instrumentation bays, and analytical suites.

Evidence Locker Management
Controls timestamped placement and retrieval of items stored in secure lockers supporting judicial review or investigative needs.

Crime Scene Evidence Transfer
Ensures authenticated chain-of-custody records during handoff from field investigators to property technicians under documented procedures.

Digital Media Tracking
Manages custody of drives, mobile devices, and electronic storage units using tamper-evident labeling and automated custody checkpoints.

Courtroom Evidence Handling
Supports movement of sealed exhibits into judicial holding rooms and controlled access areas during trial preparation.

Inter-Agency Evidence Transport
Maintains traceability during transport between police precincts, forensic labs, and prosecutorial offices using validated custody events.

Bulk Storage Oversight
Monitors pallets or bins of archived items inside long-term cold storage facilities with documented environmental controls.

High-Risk Material Monitoring
Provides continuous oversight of weapons, narcotics, hazardous samples, or restricted items requiring elevated custodial security.

Mobile Evidence Cart Tracking
Supervises rolling carts being relocated across forensic hallways, processing rooms, and secure analysis zones.

Temporary Holding Oversight
Controls movement of items placed in staging racks, pre-analysis trays, and transitional holding areas during busy operations.

Audit Preparation Support
Generates traceable logs used for compliance checks, regulatory inspections, or internal review processes.

Investigative Workflow Integration
Aligns evidence movement records with detective case systems to maintain continuity between investigative events and lab results.

Cold Case Repository Tracking
Supports management of sealed evidence associated with long-term investigative storage and delayed forensic re-analysis.

Hazardous Sample Path Control
Tracks biohazard or chemical evidence moving through vent-controlled labs, safety cabinets, and disposal stations under strict regulations.

Local Server Version of GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

A local-server deployment supports secure, facility-controlled operation for agencies requiring full data sovereignty and air-gapped workflows. GAO configures hardened servers, encrypted databases, and local event-processing engines to ensure deterministic performance without external connectivity. This model suits forensic labs, government facilities, and environments requiring tight evidentiary protections aligned with long-standing quality assurance practices developed across GAO’s operations in New York City and Toronto.

Cloud Integration and Data Management for GAO’s Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System

Cloud integration enables multi-site evidence tracking, centralized analytics, and unified chain-of-custody reporting for agencies across broad geographic regions. GAO provides secure APIs, encrypted telemetry pathways, and scalable data repositories that support machine-learning–assisted anomaly detection, remote evidence status verification, geospatial chain-flow visualization, and proactive audit readiness. These tools help agencies maintain high-integrity evidentiary control supported by the expertise GAO has delivered to major U.S. and Canadian institutions for four decades.

GAO Case Studies of Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking System Using BLE or RFID

USA Case Studies

New York City, NY
A major investigative facility deployed an RFID-based custody workflow to strengthen evidence intake, movement logging, and archival accuracy. GAO helped calibrate read zones to support strict prosecutorial standards, leveraging decades of R&D experience anchored in New York City and Toronto.

Los Angeles, CA
A large forensic complex adopted BLE for monitoring sealed evidence containers moving through laboratory corridors and secure storage bays. GAO tuned gateway density to maintain telemetry stability under heavy equipment loads and varied environmental conditions.

Chicago, IL
A regional property vault used RFID to tighten timestamp accuracy and eliminate undocumented transfers. GAO configured deterministic read points for intake windows, storage aisles, and verification booths inside a high-volume evidence facility.

Houston, TX
A metropolitan crime lab implemented BLE to track mobile evidence carts circulating across instrumentation suites and analytical rooms. GAO refined signal mapping to counter interference generated by chemical-processing and high-powered lab equipment.

Phoenix, AZ
A judicial storage center adopted RFID to improve chain integrity during frequent evidence retrievals. GAO deployed controlled read corridors to reinforce compliance during high-traffic case preparation cycles.

Philadelphia, PA
A government-operated forensic wing relied on BLE to supervise evidence routing through secured examination cells. GAO delivered fine-tuned telemetry suitable for concrete-heavy architecture and narrow structural layouts.

San Antonio, TX
A high-security investigative campus used RFID to document handoff events between field officers and forensic technicians. GAO implemented calibrated thresholding around intake portals and custody counters.

San Diego, CA
A biotech-adjacent crime facility integrated BLE to monitor movement of biological evidence across sterilized laboratory zones. GAO engineered reliable positioning despite instrument-generated radio noise.

Dallas, TX
A large urban evidence repository leveraged RFID to authenticate retrievals from sealed storage modules. GAO adjusted antenna geometry to support dense shelving configurations and metallic surfaces.

San Jose, CA
A digital forensics lab adopted BLE to track drives and electronic media between imaging stations and secure vaults. GAO enhanced gateway placement to maintain stable coverage around sensitive computing equipment.

Austin, TX
A technology-focused investigative hub implemented RFID to control the custody path of high-risk exhibits. GAO built read corridors that preserve accuracy near prototype-testing and electronics evaluation areas.

Jacksonville, FL
A coastal property division used BLE to track evidence containers across expansive storage wings. GAO resolved signal drift challenges created by large metallic racks and open-air sections.

Columbus, OH
A statewide forensic center adopted RFID to improve compliance during multi-unit evidence transfers. GAO enabled precise handoff detection across adjacent examination rooms and secure packaging zones.

Denver, CO
A municipal laboratory employed BLE to track hazardous samples traveling between vent-controlled rooms. GAO reinforced telemetry reliability amid high electromagnetic noise from analytical machinery.

Canadian Case Studies

Toronto, ON
A major research-oriented forensic facility deployed RFID to support strict auditability across intake counters, sorting rooms, and long-term vaults. GAO used its Toronto-based engineering resources to deliver highly reliable read calibration.

Vancouver, BC
A coastal investigative unit relied on BLE to supervise movement of sealed narcotics evidence through moisture-prone, metal-dense storage environments. GAO designed a beacon layout optimized for challenging maritime conditions.

Calgary, AB
A regional forensic operations center used RFID to validate custody shifts across chemical analysis bays and secure case-preparation suites. GAO applied proven quality assurance practices refined through four decades of service across Canada and the United States.Our system has been developed and deployed. It is off-the-shelf or can be easily customized according to your needs. If you have any questions, our technical experts can help you.

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