First Responders Toolkit for Evidence Preservation (Fisrt Step)

Abstract

This project has been designed for investigation agencies that are involved in crime scene investigation and evidence collection and preservation. The problem addressed is the possibilities of loss of evidence in the current system in which the evidence capturing, storing and maintenance of chain of custody is such that the chain of custody is maintained on paper duly signed and stored in files. This current procedure is comparatively time consuming, highly dependent on human interactions and has a risk of integrity issues. We are proposing a solution for this by building a system that automates the process of evidence listing from the images, provides security to the system and preserves the integrity of the system and the sensitive data by using machine learning techniques and blockchain technology. The First Responder, i.e. the first person to reach the crime scene and collect the evidence, when captures images will upload them to the system which will automatically generate a list of evidence from the images and store it onto the blockchain. The chain of custody will also be maintained on the blockchain to preserve the integrity of the data. This will ensure that no one can change the data and the evidence will also be preserved.