RFID Evidence Tracking System with Chain of Custody trails for Evidence rooms
Know where every item of evidence is, who touched it, and why. TrackerIoT tags, tracks and manages property and evidence from field intake to final disposition, with a tamper-evident chain of custody that holds up in court.
Armories and Records
Built for
Tracks
Firearms, narcotics, currency, DNA, sexual assault kits, digital devices, vehicles and bulk property
Technology
UHF RFID, barcode / QR, BLE and GPS/GSM tags on one platform
Custody
Biometric, PIN, badge and signature-pad authenticated transfers
Security
Role-based access, RFID exit portals, encrypted audit trail
Integrates
RMS, LIMS, CAD, court and prosecutor case systems
Deploy
On-premises, agency private cloud or government cloud
What Is an RFID Evidence Tracking System?
An RFID evidence tracking system tags each item of property and evidence (or its bag, box or container) with an RFID label and records every intake, storage move, transfer, check-out, return and disposition in one database. Readers at desks, doorways and in handheld devices update location and custody automatically, producing a complete, timestamped chain of custody without paper logbooks.
Unlike a barcode-only property room, RFID reads hundreds of tags without line of sight, so shelves are audited by walking past them and evidence that leaves a secure room without an approved transaction is detected at the door.
Manual methods to track evidence leads to stolen items and poor compliance
Why Manual Evidence Rooms Put Cases at Risk
When a single gap appears in the chain of custody, defense counsel will find it. A missing signature, an item logged to the wrong shelf or a transfer recorded hours after it happened can call admissibility into question, trigger an internal investigation, or end up in the news.
Logbooks, spreadsheets and barcode-only systems all depend on someone remembering to record each step. An RFID evidence management system records the step for them.
01
Broken chain of custody
Handwritten logs and late data entry leave gaps between who had the item and when.
02
Misplaced and missing items
One item on the wrong shelf can take hours to find, or never be found before trial.
03
Audits that take weeks
Hand-checking every package means full inventories happen rarely, if at all.
04
Purge and disposition backlog
Items that are cleared for release or destruction sit for years and consume storage.
05
Unauthorized removal
Without exit detection, nothing stops an item leaving the room without a transaction.
The Evidence Lifecycle, Tracked at Every Hand-Off
Intake
Officer enters case, item and collection details at a desk, kiosk or mobile device. Temporary drop lockers support after-hours submission.
Tag
A combined barcode + RFID label prints on the spot and is applied to the item, bag or container.
Store
Scan the location, then the item. Evidence is bound to facility › room › aisle › shelf › bin.
Transfer
Lab, court, prosecutor or officer check-outs are authenticated and logged. Portals verify the exit.
Audit
Handheld readers sweep shelves and reconcile expected vs. found. Find-It mode locates strays
Dispose
Retention and disposition review, approval, pull lists and release, auction or destruction records.
Evidence Tracking Software Features
Fully developed, out-of-the-box software, configured to your agency’s data fields, workflows, security policies and reports. No custom development project.
Evidence Intake & Registration
Configurable fields for case number, item type, description, collecting officer, date, location found, value, and photos. Bulk import from spreadsheets and legacy systems.
Digital Chain of Custody
Every action is logged with user, timestamp, location, reason and transaction ID. Print a court-ready chain of custody report for any item in seconds.
Storage Location Management
Model every room, aisle, rack, shelf, bin, locker, refrigerator and impound row. Location barcodes and RFID tags bind items to exact positions.
RFID Doorway Portals
Fixed readers at evidence room exits detect tagged items in transit, match them to approved transfers, and alarm on any unauthorized exit.
Handheld Audits & Find-It
Inventory a shelf or full room by walking the aisles. Signal-strength guidance leads staff straight to a misplaced item.
Biometric & Signature Custody
Fingerprint, PIN, ID badge and signature-pad authentication for check-out, check-in and transfer. No shared logins.
Smart Evidence Lockers
Pass-through and temporary storage lockers with RFID and access control, so after-hours intake still begins the chain of custody.
GPS/GSM & Impound Tracking
Long-range RFID for outdoor impound yards and GPS/GSM tags for vehicles and high-value items in transport, with geofence alerts.
Disposition & Purge Workflows
Retention rules, case-officer and prosecutor review queues, authorization capture, and pull lists for release, auction or destruction.
Alerts & Queues
Web, email and SMS alerts for overdue returns, unauthorized movement and pending approvals. Queues for lab requests, pickups and destruction.
Dashboards & Reports
Item history, personnel history, location, status, audit variance, aging and storage capacity reports, plus unlimited custom reports.
Integrations & SSO
REST APIs, file and database connectors for RMS, LIMS, CAD and court systems. SSO with Microsoft Entra ID and other identity providers.
Evidence Tracking Software Features
Fully developed, out-of-the-box software, configured to your agency’s data fields, workflows, security policies and reports. No custom development project.
Firearms & Ammunition
On-metal RFID tags and trigger-lock tags that read reliably on steel.
Narcotics
Sealed-bag labels with weight, re-weigh and high-value vault workflows.
Currency & Valuables
Dual-custody counts, vault locations and value reporting.
DNA & Biological
Cold-rated labels for refrigerators and freezers; lab request queues.
Sexual Assault Kits
Kit status from collection through lab submission and result, for state SAK tracking mandates.
Digital Devices
Phones, drives and computers moving between the property room and forensic unit.
Vehicles & Bulk Property
Long-range RFID and GPS/GSM tags across outdoor impound yards.
Documents & Found Property
Paper evidence, safekeeping and found property with owner release records.
RFID vs Barcode vs Manual Evidence Tracking
Barcode is still useful at the intake counter. RFID changes what is possible everywhere else. TrackerIoT prints both on the same label, so you never have to choose.
| Capability | Paper Log / Spreadsheet | Barcode Only | TrackerIoT RFID + Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data entry | Handwritten or typed, often after the fact | One scan per item, line of sight | Many items read at once, no line of sight |
| Chain of custody | Relies on signatures being complete | Logged when someone scans | Authenticated, timestamped and sealed for every event |
| Full room inventory | Weeks of hand-checking | Days; every package handled | Hours; shelves read by walking the aisles |
| Locating a missing item | Manual search | Last-scanned location only | Find-It proximity search with handheld reader |
| Unauthorized exit | Not detected | Not detected | Detected at RFID portals, with alarm and log |
| Outdoor / impound | Not practical | Close range only | Long-range RFID and GPS/GSM tags |
| Purge readiness | Manual case review | Report-driven, manual pulls | Rule-driven review queues and verified pull lists |
RFID Evidence Tracking Hardware
Tags & Labels
- Printable barcode + UHF RFID labels
- On-metal tags for firearms
- Cold-rated labels for refrigerated evidence
- Location tags for shelves and bins
Desk & Kiosk
- USB RFID and barcode readers
- Label printers at intake
- Signature pads and fingerprint readers
- Self-service intake kiosks
Mobile
- Handheld UHF RFID readers
- Phones and tablets paired to sled readers
- Find-It locating mode
- Offline audit with later sync
Fixed & Wide Area
- Doorway and corridor portals
- Smart shelves and evidence lockers
- Long-range impound yard readers
- GPS/GSM tags for transport
Evidence Management for Every Agency
Police Departments
Municipal property rooms handling high intake volumes, officer check-outs and court returns every day.
Sheriff's Offices
County-wide evidence across substations, detention facilities and central storage, under one record.
Crime Labs & Forensics
Lab request tracking, analyst custody hand-offs and sample storage for DNA, toxicology, ballistics and digital forensics.
Prosecutors & Courts
Exhibit tracking for trial, clerk custody, court-ordered releases and disposition authorizations.
Corrections
Inmate property, contraband and investigation evidence tracked separately with full audit history.
Federal, Military & Campus
Multi-site evidence programs for federal agencies, military investigative units and campus police.
Proven With the Agencies That Can't Afford Gaps
- Decades of accountability experience. Our team has delivered identification and tracking solutions since 1984, and the TrackerIoT platform has evolved continuously since 2005.
- Configured, not custom-built. Proven, fully developed software configured to your data, workflows, security and reporting, so deployment is faster and lower risk.
- One platform for the whole agency. Run the evidence room, armory, case files, assets and personnel from a single dashboard.
- Every tracking technology. Barcode, UHF RFID, BLE and GPS/GSM, chosen for each room and item rather than forced into one.
- Your infrastructure, your rules. On-premises for high-security environments or cloud for rapid rollout, integrated with your existing systems.
Representatives Projects and Customers
Bank United
Department of Homeland Security
John Hopkins Medicine
Douglas County, Nebraska
Arent Fox Law Firm
Supreme Court, Canada
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Department of Labor, USA
The University of California
Orange County Corrections Department
United States Army
United States Airforce
United States Space Force
Department of Justice
Shelby County Sheriff
Air National Guard
Israel Defence Force
South Africa Army
Department of State
Frequently asked Questions
What is an RFID evidence tracking system?
An RFID evidence tracking system tags each item of property and evidence, or its container, with an RFID label and records every intake, storage move, transfer, check-out, return and final disposition in a central database. Readers at desks, doorways and in handheld devices update location and custody automatically, creating a complete, timestamped chain of custody without manual logbooks.
How does RFID improve chain of custody for evidence?
RFID removes manual entry from custody events. Each transfer is tied to an authenticated user (biometric, PIN, badge or signature pad), a timestamp, a location and a reason, and RFID portals record any movement through controlled doorways. The result is an unbroken, tamper-evident audit trail that can be printed as a chain of custody report for court.
Is RFID better than barcode for evidence tracking?
Barcode is low-cost and reliable for one-at-a-time scanning at the intake counter. RFID reads many items at once without line of sight, so a shelf, bin or entire evidence room can be inventoried in a fraction of the time, and doorway readers can detect items leaving. TrackerIoT supports both, and most agencies use barcode and RFID on the same label.
What types of evidence can be tracked with RFID?
Firearms and ammunition, narcotics, currency, jewelry, electronics and digital devices, DNA and biological samples, sexual assault kits, documents, clothing, bulk property and vehicles. Tag choice is matched to the item: paper labels for bags and boxes, on-metal tags for firearms, cold-rated labels for refrigerated storage and long-range or GPS tags for impound yards.
Can the system stop evidence leaving the property room without authorization?
Yes. Fixed RFID readers at evidence room exits check every tagged item that passes against open, approved transfers. Any item moving without an authorized transaction triggers an on-screen, audible, email or SMS alert and is logged with time, door and direction.
Does the evidence tracking system integrate with our RMS, LIMS or court system?
TrackerIoT integrates with records management systems, laboratory information management systems, CAD and court or prosecutor case management systems through REST web services, scheduled file exchange or database connectors, so case numbers, lab requests and disposition orders do not have to be re-keyed.
How does RFID help with evidence purging and disposition backlogs?
The system flags items that have reached their retention or adjudication date, routes them to the case officer or prosecutor for review, records the authorization, and then generates pull lists by location. Handheld readers confirm that each item pulled for release, auction or destruction is the correct one, and the final disposition is written to the audit trail.
Is TrackerIoT evidence tracking software CJIS compliant?
CJIS compliance applies to an agency’s whole environment, not to a single product. TrackerIoT supports CJIS Security Policy requirements with on-premises or agency-controlled cloud deployment, role-based access control, multi-factor and biometric authentication, encrypted data and complete audit logging, and works with your IT and CJIS officers during configuration.
Can we move from spreadsheets or a legacy evidence system?
CJIS compliance applies to an agency’s whole environment, not to a single product. TrackerIoT supports CJIS Security Policy requirements with on-premises or agency-controlled cloud deployment, role-based access control, multi-factor and biometric authentication, encrypted data and complete audit logging, and works with your IT and CJIS officers during configuration.
Can the same system manage our armory and records too?
Yes. TrackerIoT runs evidence, weapons and armory, files and records, assets and personnel tracking on one platform with one user interface, so agencies can start with the evidence room and add other applications without a second system.
Close the Gaps in Your Chain of Custody
See the TrackerIoT RFID evidence tracking system configured around your property room, your workflows and your reports.