Why Police Departments Should Use Evidence Grade Media Over Cloud-Based Storage for Evidence Archiving
In modern policing, the volume of digital evidence from body-worn cameras, dash cams, interrogation room recordings, surveillance systems, and mobile device extractions is growing exponentially. While cloud-based storage platforms offer convenience and centralized access, they are not always the best choice for long-term evidence archiving. For cases where security, authenticity, and legal defensibility are paramount, Evidence Grade media such as archival CD-R, DVD-R, BD-R, or tamper-evident USB/SSD offers critical advantages.
1. Absolute Data Integrity with WORM Technology
Evidence Grade optical media uses Write Once Read Many (WORM) technology, meaning data can only be written once and cannot be altered or deleted afterward. This guarantees the immutability of the stored evidence. In contrast, cloud-based storage, while offering role-based access controls, still exists in an environment where data can technically be modified or overwritten at the administrative level. In court, this distinction matters WORM media provides a clear, physical guarantee that the evidence is exactly as it was recorded.
2. Stronger Chain of Custody
In legal proceedings, maintaining an unbroken and well-documented chain of custody is essential. With Evidence Grade media, chain of custody is physical and tangible the disc or drive can be serialized, labeled, sealed, and signed in evidence logs. Cloud storage relies on digital access logs controlled by the provider, which can be challenged in court as less transparent or subject to manipulation.
3. Immunity to Cybersecurity Threats
Cloud platforms, no matter how secure, remain online targets. They can be vulnerable to hacking, ransomware, credential theft, and insider threats. Evidence Grade media can be stored offline (air-gapped), completely eliminating the risk of remote cyberattacks. This is particularly important for sensitive cases such as homicides, sexual assaults, and undercover operations where exposure could jeopardize lives or prosecutions.
4. Long-Term Reliability and Compliance
Many state and federal regulations require certain categories of evidence to be retained for decades, sometimes permanently. Archival-grade discs are rated for 30–50 years of data integrity when stored properly. Cloud retention is tied to ongoing subscription costs, vendor stability, and potential platform changes. A case stored today may need to be retrieved decades later physical media ensures you’re not at the mercy of a cloud provider’s business decisions.
5. Cost Predictability
Cloud storage is billed on a per-GB-per-month basis, which becomes expensive with high-definition video files. Police departments can avoid escalating fees by storing long-term evidence on low-cost, one-time-purchase media. The cost savings are significant for agencies managing terabytes of evidence over decades. 100GB BD-R cost is approximately $0.057/GB - NO recurring fees!
6. No Vendor Lock-In
Evidence stored on proprietary cloud platforms may be difficult or costly to export in usable formats. Evidence Grade media uses standard, open file formats readable by any compatible device, ensuring accessibility regardless of future technology changes.
Conclusion
Cloud-based systems have value for active case management and collaboration, but for final evidence archiving, Evidence Grade media provides unmatched security, integrity, and cost control. It offers police departments a court-defensible storage solution that protects evidence from tampering, cyber threats, and vendor dependency ensuring that justice is supported by irrefutable digital proof.