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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 />Docusign Envelope ID: ED9774D9-AC0C-4CB2-997F-EA672B7B6C5D