Securetrack: An Evidence Chain Of Custody Management Application

Abstract

The effective management of evidence is a cornerstone of the legal system, underscored by its impact on the outcome of court cases. Proper evidence management ensures evidence’s integrity, credibility, and admissibility in legal proceedings. However, challenges persist, as shown by the high dismissal rates of cases due to insufficient evidence or technicalities related to evidence handling, For instance, the Department of Justice found that up to 90% of cases were dismissed by courts, often due to issues with the evidence chain of custody. The Philippine National Police still currently relies on a paper-based system for managing the chain of custody, which presents numerous challenges. This study seeks to address the challenges encountered by the Philippine National Police in evidence chain of custody management using a paper-based system. This study also aims to propose a SecureTrack App design to revolutionize the evidence management process by introducing a digital solution. SecureTrack App is a web-based computerized data collection and management platform, designed to overcome the limitations of the current paper-based system within the Philippine National Police (PNP). To address the challenges encountered, the researcher distributed a survey questionnaire and conducted an informal interview. In the development of the SecureTrack App, the researcher also adopted the Agile Software Development method. The features of the systems help the PNP, particularly the investigators handling the cases to lessen the time of processing the evidence, and from time to time they can monitor their work, which can help in quickly solving the cases they handle.