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Evidence & Property Unit

EVIDENCE & PROPERTY UNIT
Evidence Specialist Tracy Williams
509-754-2011 extension 468, voicemail 13
twilliams@co.grant.wa.us
The primary duty of this area is
maintaining the physical integrity and control of
evidentiary items in the custody of the Grant County
Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office has one full-time Evidence
Specialist working in the property room. The main
objective is:
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Provide safe and physical integrity
of property and evidence items for temporary and
permanent custody, and
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Maintain a continuous permanent
record showing a chain-of-custody signature log of
all items under Property Room control.
Some of the duties include but are not
limited to:
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The control, transmission, and
receipt of evidentiary items required for forensic
analysis by the Washington State Crime Laboratory
entities.
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The introduction of evidentiary items
into Superior and District Courts.
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The placement of legal items for
public auction for those items that are unclaimed or
seized by competent authority.
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To have direct contact with
individuals about property that is authorized to be
returned.
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To dispose of all
evidentiary/property items upon completion of
criminal court proceedings when authorized by
competent authority.
Release of Property:
You must first call and make an
appointment to pick up your property.
Before evidence can be released, the case must be adjudicated with no
pending appeal, or a signed release from the Prosecutor handling the case
must be supplied. If there is more than one defendant in a case, evidence
will be held until all pending charges are adjudicated.
When claiming property, you must provide photo identification. If you
are picking up property for another person, you must have a signed, notarized
statement from the owner, giving you permission to pick up their property.
No property or evidence will be released to another party without a signed,
notarized statement from the owner of the property or evidence.
Release of Firearms:
Per RCW & Federal standards, a background check will be done prior
to the release of any firearm.
Found Property:
To claim found property, the deputy will provide you with a Found Property
Rights Statement. On the back of your pink copy are directions for claiming
found property. A written appraisal for the fair market value of the item
in its current condition by either a qualified dealer of like item, or
a district court judge in the county where the property was found is required.
The appraisal must be submitted to the Sheriff's Office property/evidence
room. The person claiming found property is responsible for the cost of
an advertisement in the local newspaper for two consecutive weeks and
10% of the fair market value of the item they are claiming.
Unclaimed/Seized Property Auctions:
Unclaimed or seized property items are
auctioned through
PropertyRoom.com. Public notice of upcoming auctions
will be published in the county's newspaper of record at
least two weeks prior to the opening of the auctions.