There’s a New BEAST Tracking Evidence in Lower

ERMA –– The Lower Township Police Department recently installed a new electronic evidence tracking system.
During the month of January and February, detectives have been logging evidence into the new system that has a bar code for each item.
The manufacturer of the system known as the BEAST (Barcoded Evidence Analysis Statistics and Tracking) came from the Chicago area to install the system and train detectives in the use of it.
Once the system was installed Detective Art Mason the senior evidence officer along with Detective First Class Mel Hedum entered all existing evidence into the system. Almost a thousand individual items were entered into the system over the past month.
The training process for all officers within the police department has begun so that each officer can enter there own evidence into the system before the evidence officers retrieve the item and forward it to its final destination. This destination could be in the evidence room that is secured and alarmed, one of the New Jersey State Police Labs, or the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
The State Police currently use a similar system in their labs that is compatible with the system, which allows an item to be scanned out of Lower Township and scanned into the State Police system seamlessly.
According to the manufacturer, New Jersey law enforcement agencies are the top purchasers of the BEAST system.
Lower Township Police in their effort to stay current with the latest trend in policing are the first department in this county to install and have this new evidence tracking system operational.
Chief Edward P. Donohue “credited his detective division for being up to date on the latest technology in this field and the support of the township manager, mayor and council in their efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Lower Township Police Department.”
The system was researched by Lieutenant Chris Winter and was purchased through the 2007 capital budget