chain of custody

Key Takeaways

• A chain of custody records who controlled evidence, when it moved, and how it was stored at each point.
• A gap in the chain of custody — evidence handled by someone but not documented — creates questions about whether the file was modified.
• For electronic files, document when a clip was exported, by whom, in what format, and to whom it was delivered.

Plain-English meaning

Chain of custody is a record of who had possession of a piece of evidence at each point — from original collection through preservation, review, and delivery to claim handlers, investigators, or attorneys. It documents that evidence arrived in the same condition it left.

A complete chain of custody for dash cam footage would include: who locked or exported the clip, when, in what format, where it was stored, who accessed it, when it was shared externally, and to whom.

In claims and litigation

Opposing parties in litigation routinely question the integrity of evidence that lacks a documented chain of custody. A footage clip produced from a folder without documentation of how it got there creates a question that is difficult to resolve after the fact.

Building chain-of-custody documentation into evidence handling — logging each step as it happens rather than reconstructing it later — prevents most of those challenges.

Practical steps for electronic evidence

For dash cam footage: record the date and time of export, the name of the person who exported it, the file format and file name, the storage location, and whether the original remains intact on the device or in the cloud platform.

When footage is shared externally — emailed to an adjuster, uploaded to a claims portal, handed to an attorney — note who received it, by what method, on what date, and in what format. A simple log entry per transfer is enough. The goal is that anyone reviewing the file later can trace exactly how it moved from the camera to their hands.