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If you like police drama, you’ve seen it hundreds of
times. Detectives scour the crime scene, carefully removing key
pieces of evidence and sealing them away in plastic bags. In the
real world, evidence collected at the crime scene could be stored for
decades. History has shown that justice is served when evidence is
labeled and catalogued with precision. Mislabeled and/or misplaced
evidence has enabled criminals to walk to free and the innocent to
languish in prison.
Police departments across the United States are
turning to mobile thermal labels printing technology to improve evidence
labeling, analysis, cataloging, and storage systems. Wireless
direct thermal label printers print barcodes on blank labels at the
scene of the crime. Detailed evidence information from the
collection site is coded to the item’s barcode.
 Because thermal transfer labels are more durable than
direct thermal labels, they are often the barcode labels of choice once the
evidence reaches the storage facility. Desktop thermal transfer printers
are used to print additional barcodes on blank labels. The items
are tagged and entered into locked storage. Label quality is very
important for items that may eventually be used in a trial. Faded,
peeling or smudged labels appear sloppy and disorganized to a judge or
jury potentially prejudicing them against the police department.
Because thermal transfer printing is crisp and precise and the blank
label media is so robust, thermal transfer labels help project a
professional image. Another advantage to blank labels used in
thermal printers is their ability to easily attach to irregular shapes.
When it’s time to retrieve a piece of evidence for
trial, barcode labels are scanned and “checked out.” A property
officer will also scan their personal barcode into the system to record
custody of the item. When the officer returns with the item, he or
she will scan their ID bar code and the item’s barcode label to record
transfer of custody and re-admission of the item.
Because crime scenes can produce hundreds of evidence
samples, thermal label printers need to be able to handle large blank
label rolls at a fast pace. Thermal printers are equipped to
handle this challenge as even low-cost models are able to print on blank
labels at a pace of six inches per second.
Another common use of thermal printing and barcode
labeling by police departments is the labeling and cataloguing of lost
and stolen property. Thermal printers print barcodes on blank
labels that reference valuable information related to an item’s
retrieval date and location. This use of thermal blank labels can
not only convict a thief but help reunite a victim with their lost
wallet, jewelry or electronics.
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