How often should police evidence lockups be audited?

A retired Springfield officer will stand trial next month for allegedly stealing nearly $400,000 from the police evidence room.

November 14, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - When police make an arrest, often times they confiscate evidence to be used to support charges against a defendant in court. 

Depending on the crime, that evidence could be anything from stolen items to money, guns, and drugs. Those items are usually stored at a police station's evidence room. 

A retired Springfield officer will stand trial next month for allegedly stealing nearly $400,000 from the police evidence room.

Due to thefts from their evidence room, Springfield police were forced to return cash to alleged drug dealers in some instances, and some criminal cases had to be dismissed altogether. A 22News I-Team investigation looked into several different police departments to review audits of their evidence rooms. What we found, or didn't find, may surprise you. 

See 22News I-Team reporter Ryan Walsh's report on the Audits of Police Evidence Rooms, Thursday, November 17 on 22News at 6pm.