Evidence Tracking: setup

KB article ID: 409-1 (permalink)

Evidence Tracking is used to track the evidence on a case, including the organizations and individuals that take possession of evidence.

The following instructions explain how to setup the parties involved in this process.

See how to use the program once setup is complete.

Setup

Goodin Associates (GAL) initially sets up the Circuit Clerk's office (as an Organization) with staff Users (Participants), and at least one User with Administrator permissions. The Circuit Clerk's evidence storage location can also be set up, if this info is provided. Attorneys, as well as law enforcement agencies and their officers in your JIMS system, will also be set up because they'll be imported.

GAL staff: Click here for preliminary setup.

Organizations and Participants outside of those set up by GAL or imported from JIMS need to be added to be tracked.

Organizations

Add/view/edit an organization, its name, type, participants, or evidence storage locations from the Organizations screen, accessed by selecting Organizations from the System menu.

Add an Organization

• • Select New Organization from the Actions menu. The Edit Organizations screen will open.

  • Enter the name of the organization in the Name field, and select the Type of organization from the drop down menu.

  • Enter their evidence storage locations and participants, as available.

  • Save.

Edit/view an Organization

• • Select System/Organizations. An alphabetized list of organizations will open.

  • Double-click an organization to open the Edit Organization screen.

A word on Organization Type

Organizations are identified as either a Court, Other, Agency or Attorney

• • The Circuit Clerk and Appellate Court must be setup as "Court". They should be setup to include evidence Storage Locations and Participants (designated individuals/users).

  • Organizations such as the County Sheriff's Office should be setup as "Other". Such organizations can include, but do not require, evidence Storage Locations or specified Participants.

  • Various agencies that take possession of evidence can be setup as "Agency". They can indicate specified Participants, but this is not required.

  • Attorneys and law firms should be setup as "Attorney". They may indicate a specified Participant, but this is not required.

Evidence Storage Locations

Some Organizations have defined evidence Storage Locations.

Add a new evidence Storage Location to an Organization

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Go to Actions/New Storage Location. The Edit Storage Location screen will open.

  • Type the new location in the Description field, and save.

    • Be as descriptive as you want, but make the location clear.

    • All locations must be created this way. They cannot be added elsewhere.

Edit an evidence Storage Location

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the Storage Location to open the Edit Storage Location screen.

  • Edit the Storage Location information.

  • Save.

Delete a Storage Location

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Right-click the Storage Location and select Delete Storage Location

  • To completely delete a location, it must be empty of evidence

  • If evidence is stored in a specific Storage Location, you will not be able to delete it. Inactivate it, instead.

Inactivate a Storage Location

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the desired Storage Location to open the Edit Storage Location screen.

  • Uncheck the Active box.

  • Save.

Participants (Users)

Participants are listed on the Edit Organizations screen. Goodin Associates will have set up a Circuit Clerk designated User ID with Administrative rights to modify this information, as needed.

Add a Participant

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Select New Participant from the ‘Actions’ menu. The Participant Editor screen will open.

    • Enter the user’s name in the name fields.

    • If the Organization is the Circuit Clerk,

      • Enter the Participant's name.

      • Enter their PC JIMS User ID in the System Login Name field.

      • Select the Participant’s Security Group Membership in the provided field.

      • Save.

Edit a Participant

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the User’s name, make your changes, and Save.

Inactivate a Participant

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the Participant’s name

  • Uncheck the Active? Box.

  • Save.

User Security Groups

Each Circuit Clerk Participant must be assigned a Security Group Membership which determines the actions that user can perform. The Security Group Membership options appear once a newly created Participant's "System login name" (PC JIMS User ID) is entered. Users can belong to more than one Security Group.

Add a new Security Group

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the Participant's name for which you wish to issue a new Security Group

  • Select New Security Group from the Security menu. The Security Group Editor Screen will open.

  • Enter a group name in the Description field.

  • Use the checkboxes to enable the actions you want this group to be able to perform.

  • Save.

Edit settings for a Security Group

• • Select Organizations from the System menu.

  • Double-click the Organization.

  • Double-click the Participant's name whose Security Group you wish to edit.

  • Double-click the Group you want to edit, and use the check boxes to enable/disable the Rules for that Group.

  • Save.

  • This will change the settings/authorities for every participant associated with this Security Group.

Unenforced Chain of Custody

Administrators of Evidence Tracking can enable Users to record a Chain of Custody on evidence with which they have no role in taking or issuing possession of that evidence: that is, Users, even when they are not a Participant in the chain of custody of a particular evidence item, can be granted the authority to make changes to the record. This can prove useful during the initial set-up of the program to record current Court evidence inventory. But it can also allow Users to record mistakes, and should only be authorized as needed (and that authorization revoked once program setup is complete). This "Rule" is called "Use Unenforced Chain of Custody". It can be enabled for Users in their Security Group settings.