AN EVIDENTIARY TRUST FABRIC FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT WITH INTEGRITY ANCHORING AND OBSERVABLE CUSTODY STATE EVOLUTION

Abstract

The increasing reliance on digital systems in law enforcement has emphasized the need for secure, transparent, and reliable mechanisms to manage crime evidence. In existing systems, evidence management is typically handled through centralized databases and manual record-keeping, where crime reports, officer details, and evidentiary materials are stored in a single controlled environment. This approach introduces critical challenges such as data tampering, unauthorized access, loss of sensitive information, and lack of transparency, which can weaken trust and complicate legal proceedings. Furthermore, storing evidence in physical formats or unsecured digital systems makes it difficult to ensure authenticity and maintain a proper Chain of Custody (CoC). These limitations highlight the necessity for a system that ensures data integrity, traceability, and secure verification. To overcome these issues, the proposed framework adopts a decentralized architecture using Blockchain technology and Smart Contracts to provide immutability, transparency, and enhanced security of evidence records. The system leverages Ethereum for decentralized data storage, Web3 for enabling interaction between the application and the blockchain network, and Django as the web framework for managing the user interface, file handling, and administrative functionalities. Authorized officers can securely upload, access, and manage evidence, while administrators can monitor and verify transactions in real time. Each evidence record is assigned a unique identifier and permanently stored on the blockchain, preventing unauthorized modification and ensuring a verifiable audit trail. Although the system does not utilize Machine Learning (ML) or Deep Learning (DL), it effectively employs smart contracts-based automation for secure evidence tracking, thereby improving accountability, legal reliability, and operational efficiency.