A Chain of Custody Guide for American and Mexican Law Enforcement Professionals: English and Spanish Version - Paperback

by Jose Luis Leyva (Translator), Michael C. Steen (Author)

This chain of custody guide is a best practices overview covering a very narrow topic critical to good policing, and was written for those who are new to the criminal justice profession or new to an adversarial court system. It was written from a law enforcement professional's perspective and should not be considered a definitive legal guide. In this guide, the reader will find a simplified summary of the chain of custody concept, what it means, how it is applied, and recommendations to avoid costly mistakes. Esta guía para los procedimientos de cadena de custodia es una visión general de las mejores prácticas que cubre un tema muy estrecho, crucial para establecer buenas políticas y se escribió para aquéllos que son nuevos en la profesión de la justicia penal o nuevos en un sistema de justicia adversarial. Se escribió desde la perspectiva de un oficial de la procuración de justicia y no debe ser considerado una guía jurídica definitiva. En esta guía el lector encontrará un resumen simplificado del concepto de cadena de custodia, lo que significa, cómo se aplica y algunas recomendaciones para evitar errores costosos.

Author Biography

Michael C. Steen is a police executive and trainer with over 20 years of policing experience. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he turned to an active and diverse career in law enforcement. Along the way, he became an instructor in several police related topics, published research, and over the last eight years, as part of his policing duties, worked as an instructor for Mexican law enforcement professionals. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Administration and has Associate degrees in Criminal Justice and the Applied Sciences of Law Enforcement. Michael passionately believes that a professional investigator's highest responsibility is to impartially seek and reveal the truth. With that belief, Michael teaches that without clear unadulterated truth, justice cannot be served.