Procedure for the Collection, Handling, and Marking of Blood and Urine Evidence in OVI Cases.

A Training Presentation of the Brunswick Hills Police Department

Course Objective The purpose of this course is to familiarize the Brunswick Hills Police Officer on the proper procedures for collecting, processing, handling, and submitting blood and urine evidence for alcohol and/or drug analysis. The officer will also become familiar with the collection kit and evidence submission form.

Blood/Urine Collection Kit

Blood/Urine Collection Kit with Contents

Blood/Urine Collection Kit Contents 1 Ziplock bag containing urine bottle 1 bubble package containing 2 blood tubes 1 Ziplock bag containing Sodium Fluoride capsule 1 non-alcohol prep pad 3 specimen seals for specimen containers 2 “Police Evidence” seals for resealing box 1 biohazard label 1 liquid absorbing pad 1 instruction sheet

Urine Collection Procedures

Step One Remove contents from box.

Step Two Fill out all information requested on specimen seal. NOTE – In most cases, the officer will place their name on both the officer’s name line and the collector’s name line.

Completed specimen seal

Step Three PUT ON PROTECTIVE GLOVES BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER!

Protective Gloves

Step Four Remove urine bottle from Ziplock bag and remove green cap.

Urine Collection Bottle

Step Five If available, put a number of drops of blue food coloring into the toilet and/or urinal where the collection is being taken prior to collection. This will discourage the suspect from attempting to substituting his/her urine with the fluid from the toilet and/or urinal, or attempting to dilute his/her sample, as the food coloring will discolor the sample.

Step Six Instruct the suspect to void directly into the urine bottle. You will need to collect 40 ml of urine, or a level approx. one inch below the cap.

Step Seven Upon receipt of the filled urine bottle from the suspect, open the hinged top of the sodium fluoride capsule and drop the capsule into the sample container. Close the sample container tightly and swirl gently until the capsule is submerged and the contents of the capsule are in contact with the specimen.

Step Eight Remove the backing from the completed specimen seal and affix the center of the seal on the bottle cap. Press the ends of the seal down the sides of the bottle.

Sealed Bottle

Step Eight Place the sealed urine bottle in the Ziplock bag with the liquid absorbing pad.

Liquid Absorbing Pad

Sealed Urine Bottle in Bag With Absorbing Pad

Step Nine Return Ziplock bag with sealed, bagged urine bottle to the kit box. Initial the “Police Evidence“ seals, close the box, affix the “Police Evidence” seals to each side of the box across the edge of the box lid, and affix the “Biohazard” label to the top center of the box.

Evidence Labels

Biohazard Label

Sealed Kit Box

Step Ten Write CAD number on kit box. Place sealed kit box in evidence refrigerator and Evidence Submission Form in the Evidence Custodian’s mailbox.

Blood Collection Procedures

Step One Remove all components from the kit box.

Step Two Fill out all information requested on two specimen seals. NOTE – Ensure that the name of the sample collector is obtained and placed on the “Collector’s Name” line.

Step Three Remove the two blood tubes from the bubble package and give them, and the non-alcohol prep pad to the qualified blood collector.

Blood Tubes and Bubble Package

Non-Alcohol Prep Pad

Step Four (For Qualified Blood Collector Only) Cleanse blood withdrawal site only with the non- alcohol prep pad provided Use only the blood collection tubes provided. Use only dry, sterile collection needles.

Step Five (Qualified Blood Collector Only) Using normal hospital/laboratory procedures, withdraw blood specimens from subject allowing tubes to fill to maximum volume. Immediately after collection, assure proper mixing of anticoagulant powder by slowly and completely inverting blood tube at least five times. Do Not Shake. Discard used prep pad and needle in approved containers. Do not place in kit box.

Step Six Remove backing from the specimen seals and affix the center of the seal on the top of each tube. Press the ends of the seals down the sides of the tubes. Return the sealed blood tubes to the bubble package.

Step Seven Place the bubble package with the sealed blood tubes in the Ziploc bag along with the liquid absorbing pad. Place the bag in the kit box. Initial the “Police Evidence“ seals, close the box, affix the “Police Evidence” seals to each side of the box across the edge of the box lid, and affix the “Biohazard” label to the top center of the box in the same manner as when handling a urine submission.

Step Eight Write CAD number on kit box. Place sealed kit box in evidence refrigerator and Evidence Submission Form in the Evidence Custodian’s mailbox.

Evidence Submission Sheet

The Brunswick Hills Police Department submits all blood and urine samples collected as OVI evidence to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Crime Lab in Columbus. The Highway Patrol provides the department with a specific form to be used for chain of custody and submission. The department’s standard evidence form and evidence tag are not used in these cases, as this evidence is not entered into the Brunswick Hills Police Department evidence system.

OSP Evidence Submission Sheet

Evidence Submission Sheet The blank submission form is located with the rest of the department’s electronic master forms. A training copy of this form to be used with this presentation is available for download from the Department’s In-Service Training Website. The following will describe how the form is completed:

Evidence Submission Sheet #1 – Name of suspect. #2 – Age of suspect. #3 – Gender of suspect. #4 – The name of the collector of the blood or urine sample. If the sample is blood, this will be the name of the physician, nurse, lab technician, or other qualified collector who physically draws the blood and gives it to you.

Evidence Submission Sheet #5 – The date the sample is collected. #6 – The time the sample is collected. #7 – The location the sample is collected. #8 – The CAD number assigned to the case. #9 – The description of the property. This will generally be either “one white box containing one bottle of human urine,” or “one white box containing two tubes of human blood.”

Evidence Submission Sheet #10 – This will be your initials, as listed on the evidence seals affixed to the exterior of the kit box. #11 – Chain of custody signatures will be placed here. In cases of blood, the first signature will be the person who draws the blood. In cases of urine, the first signature will be the person who first receives the sample from the suspect. #12 – Badge number of officer.

Evidence Submission Sheet #13 – Time person receives the sample. #14 – Date person receives the sample. #15 – Method of Transport. In most cases, this will be hand carry. It could also be shipment via approved package carrier.

Evidence Submission Sheet #16 – The name of the officer sealing the container should be recorded on the first line. The officer should then check the appropriate blocks for what analysis needs to be done. By default, OSP will not check for drugs if the suspect has a prohibitive level of alcohol in their sample. Do not check a box for analysis for drugs, unless you specifically need the sample checked for drugs because you have a suspicion that drugs have been used in your case. We are billed based on the tests performed.

Evidence Submission Sheet #16 (continued) – If the sample is urine, the name of the person who added the sodium fluoride capsule should be added on the appropriate line.

Evidence Custodian Responsibilities

When the evidence custodian receives notice of blood or urine evidence that needs processing, the custodian will record the appropriate information from the Evidence Submission Form into the logbook maintained for blood and urine evidence located in the Property Room. A copy of the Evidence Submission Form should also be placed in the designated file by the evidence custodian.

Evidence Custodian Responsibilities Upon retrieving the evidence from the designated refrigerator, the evidence custodian will make the appropriate notation on the chain of custody section of the Evidence Submission Form. The evidence custodian may then either hand deliver the evidence to the OSP Crime Lab in Columbus, or the evidence may be shipped to the OSP Crime Lab by an approved package carrier. The evidence should be packaged in accordance with the requirements of the package carrier.

Evidence Custodian Responsibilities The original Evidence Submission Sheet is submitted with the evidence.

Course Conclusion Thank you for taking this course. You may now download the course examination and submit your exam using the online answer sheet. Any comments or suggestions are welcome and should be directed to the Department Training Officer.