Property & Evidence Technician, Melissa DeLeeuw, New Hope Police Department

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title. 

Melissa DeLeeuw with the New Hope Police Department. I started as a clerk in March of 2022 but was promoted earlier this year to the Property and Evidence Technician position. I have worked in LE for 18 years in some fashion, but this position adds a new challenge. New Hope has 34 sworn officers.

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?  

This is a newly created position for New Hope so for now I am by myself. For the first 3 months I was getting a lot of help from the investigations team.

3). What is your involvement with MAPET?

I started my membership shortly after being appointed this position. Right now my involvement is simply soaking up all of the knowledge from the other members.

4). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks?

Purging is the BEST!!! I also really enjoy getting recovered property back to its rightful owner.

5). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room?

It’s not in there anymore, but when I first took over there was a safe from our old PD building that nobody could remember the combination to. The first thing I did was take that safe to the garage and get it cracked open.  I was only slightly disappointed with the lack of evidence in there.

6). What is currently your biggest challenge?  

Right now, my biggest challenge is finding a good way to implement change with the officers. Using appropriate size packaging seems to be difficult.

7). Recent victory in your property room?  

Between March (when I started) and the beginning of June, I cleaned out over 200 firearms and 2500 + lbs. of narcotics from the property room. Both of those destruction days were extremely exhilarating.

8). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?  

Take your time and get a good understanding of what your role is before you jump right in.  Ask your fellow technicians questions.

Board Member Election!

After the meeting sessions wrap up at the Annual Conference on Wednesday, Oct 11th (5:30pm), join us at the Board meeting to vote on MAPET's next Vice President and Secretary positions!

Barnesville Police Department, Evidence Technician Shannon Jablonsky 

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title. 

Shannon Jablonsky, Barnesville MN Police Department

Records Tech, Evidence Tech, Administrative Assistant, Assistant TAC, Notary Public

I will be with the department 8 years in September

BPD consists of our Police Chief, 4 Officers and me

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?  

Just me…and the Police Chief

3). What is your involvement with MAPET? 

I’m a new member.

4). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks? 

I’m new to property and evidence, so I am learning! But I like labelling and organizing things in general.

5). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room? 

I dislike guns, but we have a .22 pistol that has a beautiful wood-grain body – it’s like a work of art.

6). What is currently your biggest challenge?  

Learning!

7). Recent victory in your property room?  

Disposing of old property and evidence that should have been disposed of a LONG time ago

Faribault Police Department, Property & Evidence Technician Gina Palan 

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title.  Gina LaCanne Palan,  Faribault Police Department, 17 years, 33 sworn, Property/Evidence Technician

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?  I am the only Evidence Tech, we have a Captain and a Sergeant that can fill in if I am gone.

3). What is your involvement with MAPET? Member

4). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks? Working with our multijurisdictional Drug Task Force agents.  Having the opportunity with our agency to do a 1 hour training with new officers.  Destroying evidence!

5). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room? Nothing anymore.  I had a frozen cats tail but, it was disposed of.

6). What is currently your biggest challenge?  Getting officers to put the correct information in the item description for firearms to run a proper E-trace and getting them to label their Axon video correctly and in a timely fashion.

7). Recent victory in your property room?  We are purged up to 2019 and a bit beyond. Not only house Faribault PD’s evidence but, all the agencies evidence for the DTF which is a multijurisdictional so pretty excited about the purge success. Passed 4 different audits in 2022.  Also had Axon given to me in September unexpectedly and was able to learn how to manage the evidence in there to disseminate to prosecutors and outside agencies. I guess that is few victories but, they sure do make an evidence tech happy. 

8). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?  Document, document, document!!!

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title. Katie Brinkman, St. Cloud Police Department, 13 years, 111 officers, Support Supervisor

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?  I am the supervisor over the evidence department

3). What is your involvement with MAPET? Member

4). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks? Keeping the property room organized and getting rid of property

5). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room? ????

6). What is currently your biggest challenge?  Dispositions

7). Recent victory in your property room?  Getting everything to fit on all of the shelves.  To get rid of a bunch of dispositions.

8). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?  Stay organized and don’t put things to the side to deal with later, because that pile gets high real fast.

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title.

Full name: Laura Hilgers

Department: Moorhead Police Department – Moorhead, MN

How long at Department: 22 years

Number of officers: 55

Official Title: Technical Office Specialist, Evidence Technician, Cellebrite Certified Physical Analyst

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?

A sergeant supervises the evidence room, I do all of the day to day evidence related tasks.

3). What is your involvement with MAPET?

Member

4). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks?

I enjoy all evidence technician/property room tasks.

5). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room?

A 5 foot tall, 4 foot wide (at the bottom) medieval type sword/weapon. Not sure what to call it. All I know is that it’s heavy!

6). What is currently your biggest challenge?

Finding time to return found property. Our evidence system is an all-inclusive records system that does not allow for notifications when found property can be returned. I have to run a report of the locations and property type to obtain a list of found property and then search our records system for owners to contact. It is a very tedious process, and I do not have time to do this as often as it should be done.

7). Recent victory in your property room?

We received confirmation that we can start researching stand-alone property/evidence systems that may make notifications and searching easier.

8). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?

Attend a training through IAPE – it is a very good training. Become a member of MAPET. There is very good information discussed at these meetings that are helpful for information regarding property/evidence in Minnesota. Find your own system of managing the evidence room that works for you.

Jason Kuchenmeister, Maplewood Police Department Property and Evidence Technician 

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title.

Jason Kuchenmeister, Maplewood Police Department, 4 years in March, currently we have 52 officers, Property and Evidence Technician

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?

Just me, myself and I

2). What is your involvement with MAPET?

I currently serve as the Vice-President for MAPET

3). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks?

Any time I can get out of the office and run some errands is fun.  I like going down to the BCA and submitting evidence.

4). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room?

The most interesting item I have in the property room is a mannequin without its head.  Scared the hell out of me, as it is on the top shelf and I didn’t notice it when I was going up the ladder to inventory that shelf for the first time.

5). What is currently your biggest challenge?

Right now my biggest challenge is keeping up with evidence review/disposal.  With all of the “other duties as assigned” it’s hard to keep up with getting rid of items.

6). Recent victory in your property room?

We recently purchased two shipping containers to serve as our large item storage.  This will house items like car jacks, catalytic convertors, bicycles and other large items that are not temperature sensitive.  This should free up some space in my evidence room.

7). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?

Document, document, document.  You are never going to remember everytime you moved/released/disposed of an item, so keep notes or type a narrative.  You can never have too many reminders of why you did something.

If anyone is interested in a firearm pick up / destruction - Gun Busters is coming May 9-10, 2023.

Please email Rick Borgmeyer (rick@gunbustersusa.com) to get on his schedule.

If anyone is interested in a firearm pick up / destruction - Gun Busters is coming May 17-18, 2023.

Please email Rick Borgmeyer (rick@gunbustersusa.com) to get on his schedule.

1). Full Name, Department you work for, How long at Department, Number of officers, official title. Vern R. Wittenberg,  Chief Deputy for Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office, 6+ years at this Agency

 

2). Who is in the evidence department with you?

Just Me

 

2). What is your involvement with MAPET?

So far, I just joined.

 

3). What are some of your favorite evidence technician/property room manager tasks?

I am just getting going with revamping the intake system and labeling system. I don’t really have a favorite thing yet.  

 

4). What is the most unique/weird item currently in your Property room?

A victim’s bicycle from a hit and run from the early 1980’s that was likely committed by the then Sheriff’s son.

 

5). What is currently your biggest challenge?

The amount of property in the room that needs to be gone through.

 

6). Recent victory in your property room?

Barcode / Labeling system up and running

7). What advice would you give to new techs in the field?

Go to an evidence tech training, otherwise none at this time, I’m not very familiar with it myself.