Orange County NC Website
115 <br /> Facility Standards for Evidence <br /> • Exterior walls <br /> The building materials should ideally consist of concrete blocks with concrete filled cells, <br /> poured concrete walls, Tilt-up concrete walls, or other similar material. Other types of <br /> prefab or modular construction may be suitable under some conditions, such as metal or <br /> brick buildings. <br /> • Interior walls <br /> It is best to avoid sheetrock or drywall, as it can easily be penetrated. In the event drywall is <br /> used, it should be backed with plywood, wire mesh, a double layer of drywall, or laminated <br /> gypsum board. All interior walls should extend from the floor to the roof, or the floor pan of <br /> the next level. This prevents access into a controlled area by climbing over a wall through a <br /> suspended ceiling. <br /> • Windows <br /> The rooms, if possible, should be designed without windows. In the event windows are <br /> present in an existing structure, they should be fitted with bars or mesh to enhance security <br /> and discourage entry. <br /> • Roof <br /> The exterior roof should be constructed of materials that are resistant to entry and meets <br /> current disaster resistant building codes for the risks associated with the location, i.e.: <br /> tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or wild fire. <br /> • Doors <br /> Exterior doors should be metal clad with metal frames. The hinges to these doors should <br /> always be located on the inside unless they are special security hinges. <br /> Interior doors should be solid-core or metal clad. Half-doors or Dutch-doors, where <br /> permitted by code, should be dead-bolted on both halves. <br /> • Ventilation <br /> The property room should be ventilated in a manner that controls heat, cold, humidity, and <br /> odors. Special consideration should be given to DNA related storage areas to control heat <br /> and humidity that tends to degrade biological evidence. Maintaining the room temperature <br /> in a controlled environment (60 to 75 degrees, with relative humidity that does not exceed <br /> 60% is recommended). <br /> Any area that is used for storing drugs should be independently ventilated in a manner that <br /> noxious fumes are removed from the building, and not re-circulated into the building's <br /> heating,ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC) system.The proper design of a drug storage <br /> area should include a "negative pressure" ventilation system that changes the air in the <br /> storage room approximately 10-12 CPH (changes per hour). <br />