Pubdate: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 Source: Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Copyright: 2007 Madison Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.madison.com/wsj/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/506 Author: Karen Rivedal MISSING DOPE SPARKS TOUGHER POLICE EVIDENCE-ROOM RULES The Madison Police Department has put in place new procedures for the police property room, after a Madison detective seriously injured in a car crash allegedly removed heroin from the property room on several occasions under questionable circumstances, officials said today. "The immediate changes ... are designed to make the system more proactive, while maintaining the integrity already built into the existing chain of custody procedures," Chief Noble Wray and other leaders said in a statement. The primary change is a requirement that any officer seeking release of sensitive evidence such as drugs, firearms or weapons from the property room must have a supervisor's signature on the request form. The changes were made without fanfare on Nov. 28, a little more than a week after Madison Detective Jeffery Hughes crashed his car while off-duty. Investigators found a ripped-open evidence bag of heroin, with some of the drug missing, and other drug-related materials at the crash scene near Edgerton. Police records show that Hughes, 39, of Milton received that bag of heroin from the property room hours before the Nov. 20 crash, saying he needed the drugs for "testing." Hughes' request that day and on at least 10 prior occasions raised red flags, police said. He usually was not the primary detective assigned to the cases for which he received the evidence, and the drugs he requested often already had been tested and in some cases had been slated to be destroyed. On the day of his crash, Hughes appeared "dazed" and "high" when he requested the drugs, according to the property room clerk on duty that day, court records say. Today's statement does not address whether property room clerks, who are civilians, can deny requests from officers, nor does it indicate whether clerks are required to report suspicious behavior to supervisors. It's not clear whether the clerk who released the heroin to Hughes on Nov. 20 reported her concerns before she was interviewed by a Dane County sheriff's deputy three days later. Also unclear is what the procedure is for re-checking evidence returned by officers and whether any periodic checks are done to monitor the status of removed evidence. It does not appear that Hughes' prior removals of drugs were noticed until after records were checked following his crash. In their statement, the officials say the system is designed "to thoroughly document the chain of custody" of evidence, and that the property room "provides a good, accountable, tracking system." "A paper trail exists for all occasions when property is moved and clerks are able to ascertain where evidence is at any point in time," the statement said. The statement also says there can be good reasons for an officer to request temporary release of evidence from the property room, such as for "photographing, processing and testing." Items also may be needed in court to serve as a visual exhibit and may be needed for witnesses and prosecutors to see at other times. Police said evidence marked for destruction also can still be needed by investigators, such as when new drug evidence must be compared to old evidence. The statement said police are continuing their assessment of all property room and evidence procedures and that more changes may be made. "The goal is to protect the integrity of evidence and to provide a system for which the public will have the highest confidence and trust," the statement said. Police also said that Wray will speak publicly about the case involving Hughes after the Dane County Sheriff's Office finishes its criminal investigation. Sheriff Dave Mahoney today said he could not say when that would be, noting he was waiting for drugs tests to be completed on Hughes' blood, among other things. On the day of the crash, Hughes was thrown from the car and he remains in critical condition in an induced coma at UW Hospital, Mahoney said. Police have not been able to talk to him. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D