I would like to start out by telling you a little about our department. I've been with the North Slope Borough Department of Public Safety for over 12 years, in Property for over 5 years. Our department has jurisdiction over an area of some 92,000 square miles. Roughly the size of the State of Oregon. 

We have our headquarters in the City of Barrow at the northern tip of Alaska. In addition we have two officers assigned to each of seven native villages and the Prudhoe Bay Oil Complex. The remainder of our current staffing of 48 sworn positions are posted in Barrow. 

Prudhoe Bay is the only area within our jurisdiction that is connected to the State Highway system. Barrow and the remaining seven native villages are serviced only by air. 

To put the distances into perspective, Barrow to Barter Island, our most eastern village is 310 miles. It is also 31 0 miles from Barrow to Point Hope, our most western village, and 248 miles to Anaktuvuk Pass, the southern most village. 

A lot of folks think Alaska is cold. They are both right and wrong. Our coldest temperatures will be in the minus 60 degree range. However, our summer temperatures approach the 100 degree range in the inland areas. 

As you can see, the logistics found here offer challenges in handling evidence that are not normally encountered. Most of these challenges evolve around Chain of Custody and preservation of perishable evidence. This becomes even more involved when evidence recovered in a village is destined to be sent to the State Crime Lab located in Anchorage, 700 miles to the south. 

We basically have four ways of getting evidence from a village to Barrow while maintaining chain of custody. 

1. The simplest by far is for the Village Officer to hand carry the evidence on a commercial flight. This may be done during a prisoner transport related to the particular case or during non-related travel. 

2. Another method, normally reserved for small items needed quickly, is for the Village Officer to sign the evidence over to a pilot from one of the air services. In turn the Property Officer meets the airplane when it arrives in Barrow, signs for the evidence and records the Chain of Custody from the pilot. 

3. We are fortunate to have the North Slope Borough Search and Rescue Department here in Barrow. Search and Rescue has a fleet of six aircraft, both fixed and rotor wing, at our disposal with the approval of the mayor. 

On major crimes or incidents occurring out of Barrow, Search and Rescue will take an officer(s) and the Property Officer to the scene and provide transportation back to Barrow with the evidence and the Chain of Custody intact. 

An alternative to Search and Rescue is to charter a small aircraft from a local air service.

4. The most common method is to mail the evidence. Registered Mail, Return Receipt Requested is a court proven method of transporting evidence while maintaining the Chain of Custody in the state of Alaska (and most other states.) 

Here are a few general guidelines for registered mailings: 

Postal regulations limit package size to 108 inches (the length of the package plus its girth); with the total weight not exceeding 70 pounds. 

Registered mail requires that all seams on the envelope or package be sealed. Gummed paper tape is recommended as any tampering is more apparent. 

When mailing body fluids or other perishables for laboratory analysis each specimen should be packaged separately in Styrofoam packing and refrigerated 24 to 48 hours prior to placing in the shipping container. This allows both the evidence and the packing to become cold soaked prior to shipment, this will extend the "shelf life" of the item. 

If your agency transports evidence via the mail often, get a post office box. This will enhance the chain of custody by routing evidence directly to the property or evidence personnel and eliminating all other department employees from the chain of custody.