To fill out DD Form 2817, the Department of Defense’s Evidence Custody Document, you enter the case-identifying information in the header, describe each seized item in enough detail to distinguish it from anything similar, log every change of custody with signatures and a stated purpose, and submit the completed form with the evidence to your Evidence Property Room. The form’s current edition date is September 30, 2020.1Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 2817 – Evidence Custody Document
Getting a Blank Copy
DD Form 2817 is a controlled form. It is not posted for public download, and the Executive Services Directorate page for the form directs requesters to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security through the Forms Management Points of Contact page.2Executive Services Directorate. DD Forms 2500-2999 Most investigators receive blank copies through their parent organization: Army Criminal Investigation Division, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or the military police unit handling the case. If your unit does not stock them, your evidence custodian or legal office can request them through the USD(I&S) channel.
There is a companion form, DD Form 2817-1 (Evidence Custody/Property Tag), with the same edition date and the same controlled status.3Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 2817-1 – Evidence Custody/Property Tag The DD 2817 lives in the case file as the complete chain-of-custody record. The DD 2817-1 tag rides with the physical container so handlers can identify the item without breaking a seal.
Header and Identifying Information
Start at the top. Enter the Voucher or Receipt number, which is the unique tracking number your unit assigns to the seized property. Every later reference to this evidence, in reports, lab requests, and court filings, will use that number, so check it against your unit’s property log before you write.
Enter the case number assigned by your Criminal Investigation Division or Military Police detachment. If the investigation is joint, put the primary case number in the block and add any cross-reference numbers in the remarks section.
Record the exact date and time the evidence was obtained, in military time (1435, not 2:35 PM). Synchronize your watch or device before you write. A minor discrepancy between your form and a partner’s can become a point of contention later.
Document the location. A street address is best. When that isn’t available, give GPS coordinates or a detailed description tied to fixed landmarks, for example, “northwest corner of Building 4220, third-floor supply closet.”
If the evidence came from a person, record their full name, rank if military, and contact information, and verify identity against a military ID or other government-issued identification before writing anything down. Getting this wrong can invite challenges to the legality of the seizure itself. Compare every entry against your field notes before you move on. Corrections are possible, but each one weakens the document under cross-examination.
Describing Each Item
Each item needs a description specific enough that someone who has never seen it could pick it out from a group of similar objects. Include type, color, size, condition, and identifying marks such as serial numbers, engravings, or visible damage. Not “one knife” but “one folding knife, black handle, 3.5-inch blade, ‘Benchmade’ logo on blade, serial number 12345, small nick on left side of blade near hilt.”
Assign each item a sequential number on the form and use that same number on every related document, lab submission, and DD 2817-1 tag. Put each item on its own line. Group items only when they are genuinely inseparable, such as a magazine loaded into a firearm at the time of seizure, and note both components in the single entry.
Recording Each Transfer
The transfer blocks are the core of the form. Every time the evidence changes hands, both people complete their portion of the block. The person giving up possession fills in “Released By.” The person taking possession fills in “Received By.” Each side requires a printed name, signature, organization or unit, and the date and time of the transfer.
Each block includes a “Purpose of Change of Custody” field. State the reason plainly: “transport to forensic laboratory for latent print analysis,” “transfer to evidence property room for long-term storage,” or “present for pre-trial inspection by defense counsel.” Vague entries like “transfer” or “moved” create problems, because anyone reviewing the form later needs to understand why the item moved.
Leave no gap. Any period where no one’s name appears on the form becomes a target for the defense to argue that tampering or contamination could have occurred. Military courts have described the standard as “adequate, not infallible,” so perfection isn’t required, but a sloppy record hands the defense a narrative even when the evidence is ultimately admitted.4JAGCNET. Chain of Custody
If you realize you missed a transfer entry, do not squeeze it in after the fact. Write a sworn memorandum documenting the oversight, attach it to the case file, and note the correction in the remarks section. A documented correction is far less damaging than a record that looks altered.
Special Handling That Changes What You Write
Some categories of evidence require extra steps before the item goes into packaging, and those steps show up in the description block on the form.
- Firearms: unload the weapon and make it safe. Package ammunition separately, marking each package to identify which weapon it came from. Note the weapon’s condition at time of seizure (loaded or unloaded, safety position, visible damage) in the item description on the DD 2817.5National Institute of Justice. Firearms Examiner Training – At the Crime Scene
- Biological material: fired bullets or other items recovered from a body or crime scene may carry bloodborne pathogens. Label the outer container as a potential biohazard, use appropriate secondary containment, and expect handlers to follow universal precautions.5National Institute of Justice. Firearms Examiner Training – At the Crime Scene
- Narcotics: weigh and field-test the substance before sealing. Record the field-test result, weight, tamper-evident packaging used, and seal number in the item description.
- Shipping: if the evidence has to go to an outside forensic lab, note that USPS will not ship unfired ammunition. UPS and FedEx will, but the shipper must meet Department of Transportation hazardous material packaging and labeling requirements regardless of law enforcement status.5National Institute of Justice. Firearms Examiner Training – At the Crime Scene
Whatever the item, if a biohazard label or other special marking is on the outer container, put that in the description so the next handler knows what to expect before opening the package.
Submitting the Evidence and the Form
Once the form is filled out and the item is packaged, transport the evidence to the designated Evidence Property Room. The custodian will check each item against the DD 2817, comparing description, count, condition, and packaging integrity. If anything doesn’t match, the custodian will reject the submission until the discrepancy is fixed, so resolve any issues before you arrive.
Attach the DD 2817-1 tag to the container with an approved adhesive sleeve or evidence tag. The tag has to be readable without opening or disturbing the sealed packaging; that’s the whole point of having a separate tag.
After the custodian signs the “Received By” block, the original DD 2817 goes into the master investigative case file. Digital copies are typically made so investigators and attorneys can review the chain of custody without pulling the physical document. Check that the scan captures every entry legibly. A blurry digital copy is nearly as bad as a missing one when the form has to be produced during pre-trial discovery.
Why Accuracy on the Form Matters
A break in the chain does not automatically make evidence inadmissible. Military courts look at whether the government has shown a reasonable probability that the item is what it claims to be and was not altered, and weaknesses in the chain typically go to weight rather than admissibility.4JAGCNET. Chain of Custody Chain-of-custody records are among the document types the Military Rules of Evidence recognize under Rule 803(6).6Joint Service Committee on Military Justice. Military Rules of Evidence
Consequences for the person who caused a problem are separate from what happens to the evidence. An honest mistake, like forgetting to complete a transfer block or mislabeling an item, is a training and performance matter. Intentionally falsifying an entry is a criminal offense. Under UCMJ Article 107, anyone subject to military law who signs a false official document knowing it to be false, with intent to deceive, faces punishment as a court-martial may direct. If the false entry accompanied a sworn statement, false swearing under the same statute may also apply.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 907 – Art. 107. False Official Statements; False Swearing
Closing Out After the Case Ends
The DD 2817 stays active as long as the evidence is in government custody. When the case ends by conviction, acquittal, dismissal, or a decision not to prosecute, the evidence has to be disposed of through your organization’s procedures. Options generally include returning property to its lawful owner, transferring contraband to a destruction facility, or retaining items subject to forfeiture. The authorizing official, usually the case agent’s supervisor or the staff judge advocate, documents the disposition decision, and the final entry on the DD 2817 records who released the evidence and why.
Photograph or otherwise document any item before it is destroyed so a record exists after the physical evidence is gone. Retain the completed DD 2817 in the case file under your organization’s records-retention schedule; these records often must be kept for years after disposition, especially in serious cases.