For Immediate Release:

NEW EVIDENCE ENVELOPE MAINTAINS CHAIN OF CUSTODY

Patented design created for United States Secret Service now available to law enforcement agencies worldwide

FALLS CHURCH , VIRGINIA – For decades, law enforcement agencies have relied on brown paper bags, manila envelopes and zip-lock bags to store precious evidence that can make or break criminal cases. Such containers do not always preserve the integrity of the evidence, are open to tampering and provide defense lawyers with opportunities to blow seemingly ironclad cases apart.

The American Forensics Integrity Envelope reduces those liabilities dramatically. Developed for a major US Government Law enforcement agency, the Integrity Envelope provides a level of evidence protection never before offered. Its unique, U.S. patented design allows the envelope to be opened and resealed up to seven times without risk of breaching the chain of custody or contaminating contents.

With sealed evidence often passing throughout crime labs and between law enforcement agencies, it’s imperative the chain of custody be preserved. The Integrity Envelope is the only evidence container that can guarantee a secure protocol for as many as seven separate openings and reseals. Previous seals, which note the date, time and previous examiner, are left in place.         

“From the moment law enforcement arrives on the scene, this envelope goes to work preserving the integrity of evidence,” says Robert Smith, president of American Forensics, Inc. “No longer is there any question of who opened the envelope and when.”      

Smith, a 30-year veteran of the commercial printing industry and a long-time consultant to the Secret Service, developed the Integrity Envelope to meet the Service’s needs for a tamper-proof container that could be resealed multiple times and handle a wide variety of evidence. The envelope, which received its U.S. patent on September 10, 2002, meets all of the security criteria required by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB)

The Integrity Envelope is manufactured with tear-resistant, waterproof, breathable

Herculink™ stock that strengthens impregnability. Its 9 ½ x 12 ½ inch size easily accommodates full-page documents in protective sleeves without folding. With special accordion-style side construction, it expands to hold larger objects such as narcotics and handguns.

The Integrity Envelope eliminates the need for law enforcement personnel to slice open additional sides of an evidence container, an unwieldy, tape-intensive process that leaves evidence open to compromise. As prescribed by ASCLD, the Integrity Envelope can be enhanced when fastened by using agency-monogrammed security tape or American Forensics high quality security tape.       

Smith spent five years developing the Integrity Envelope and believes his product could become standard equipment in squad cars, replacing paper sacks and plastic bags. More importantly, the Integrity Envelope will preserve the crucial evidence upon which criminal cases turn.