Inside the Kent Police Department Property Room

 

After the Kent Police Department decides between two sites for its new police station, more than 800 items of evidence that are stored in the Kent property room will be transferred to the new location as well.

Inside the Kent Police Department’s property room, rows of evidence gather dust until Detective Dave Marino reviews a list of the items.

“Reviewing evidence or cases is an ongoing process throughout the year,” Marino said.

The Kent Police Department is guided by the Statute of Limitations for Criminal Offenses, which is codified at 2901.13.

The ordinance sets forth the time period after which evidence can be destroyed.

According to Ohio Revised Code 2901.13, evidences related to felonious assaults can be destroyed within six years after an offence is committed, six months for minor misdemeanor, two years for other misdemeanors, 20 years for robbery or burglary and forever for an unsolved homicide.

Marino said he determines what can be destroyed and makes a spreadsheet with the information.

Kent City Law Department then reviews the spreadsheet before a notice to claim property is circulated through the local newspaper.

Marino said that a judge then signs a notice of destruction.

Two detectives, including Marino, go to Republic Steel in Canton to witness the evidence being placed in the incinerator.

Established in 1886, Republic Steel operates steelmaking centers that produce steel bars in Canton.

“We stay with the evidence the entire time until it’s dropped in the incinerator,” Marino said. “I make one or two trips to Republic Steel per year.”

Marino said between 1,000 and 2,000 cases that involve physical evidence are reviewed and found eligible for evidence destruction per year.

“It might seem like I overdo it when it comes to being strict about following the ordinance code, having witnesses for destruction, getting court orders, etc., but this specific job carries a lot of liability,” Marino said.

Marino said that evidence rooms across the country are hidden in police departments for a reason. They are typically located behind locked doors in department basements with no windows.

“Most evidence rooms have large amounts of money, drugs, evidence from homicides, and other important items,” Marino said. “Also, most departments (like ours) have jails, interview rooms for the general public, cleaning crews, etc., so we have to keep the rooms, location, layout, etc. out of the public eye.”

Although evidence room break-ins are rare, Marino said that the Police Department takes necessary precautions as break-ins have occurred at other departments.

For example, Hamilton County Sheriff’s office is still investigating a case involving $15,000 to $17,000 in drug case money orders and narcotics evidence that went missing from the department’s property room in 2012.

According to the 2013 Kent property room statistics, 500 items were drugs and paraphernalia, a majority of which are marijuana related offenses.

Pills and heroin come in at second and third.

Alcohol-related offenses accounted for 175 items, including cans, bottles, samples of alcohol and more.

Ninety clothing items were stored mainly from sexual assault cases.

Twenty items were guns confiscated for safekeeping (suicide threats) or from a domestic violence case.

Marino said that not all guns being held are from actual gun-related offenses or charges.

Twenty items were knives and another twenty were ODH sexual assault kits.

“I’m not sure what the weirdest thing would be since everything is logged in for a reason,” Marino said. “If I had to pick something I’d say the set of Katana swords or the can of potatoes from a 1990 theft case.”

Both the set of Katana swords and the can of potatoes will be destroyed this year.