◆ SpookStack

AN Urea AR ew Se ew Sp ee ei Ne OO ee eee se mA lh a kik? tam SNA nie a a i a NADA hen oa aie sg ama Sm? SS ea de . Ne . ° ~~ Memorandum tb Mr. Conrad SERGEANT DANIEL GROTH; JAMES DAVIS; JOHN CISZEWSKI; EDWARD CARMODY; ET AL, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, POLICE OFFICERS - SUBJECTS; FRED HAMPTON (DECEASED); MARK CLARK (DECEASED); BRENDA HARRIS; VERLINE BREWER; BLAIR ANDERSON; RONALD STACHEL, ET AL - VICTIMS; SUMMARY PUNISHSIENT - CIVIL RIGHTS 44-44202 With respect to the evidence now held by the Chicago Police, SAC Johnson advised that the Chicago Police Crime Laboratory will be called upon to testify later in state criminal proceedings against the Panthers concerning .tts. own examinations of this material. To simplify and insure chain of custody, local legal authorities request a representative of the FBI Laboratory come to Chicago, where the evidence will be personally turned over, and that this FBI Laboratory representative retain custody until the evidence is subsequently personally returned to the Chicago authorities by him. Local legal authorities further request that, for legal tactical reasons in handling the local case, the FBI representative taking custody of the evidence should not be involved in the actual examination of the evidence. This will permit the local authorities to keep the issue of custody completely separate from that of the technical examination. They point ‘out, according to SAC Johnson, that they want to avoid to the maximum extent possible : any opportunity by the Black Panther legal staff to probe the technical findings, which | otherwise might result if the issue of custody is not kept separate from that of technical examination. With respect to the numerous guns now held by the State Attorney's Office, a representative of that office will personally deliver to the FB] Laboratory the guns fired by police personnel and the confiscated guns as soon as the coroner's inquest presently in session is completed. A receipt will be issued for these guns and the State Attorney's representative will return to the FBI Laboratory to receive these guns when our examinations have been completed. Custody of these weapons similarly will be kept separated in the FBI Laboratory from the issue of actual examination. SAC Johnson further advised that during the conference the Chicago Police Laboratory expressed a desire to test fire the weapons used by police personnel in the raid, prior to turning over these weapons to the FBI Laboratory. ( These guns have not previously been made available to the Chicago Crime Laboratory by the State Attorney's Office.) It is understood that such test bullets will be made available to the FBI Laboratory if needed by us. The above arrangements appear to be feasible from the FBI Laboratory examination standpoint, and in view of the Bureau's earlier assistance, it is suggested the Bureau may wish to approve this further assistance to the Department looking toward Federal Grand Jury testimony as to the results of these additional technical examinations. ACTION: If approved, a firearms examiner from the Laboratory will be dispatched to Chicago to receive and take custody of the evidence now in the possessign of the Chicago Crime Laboratory in order that the further examinations payee by the Department can be made in the FBI Laboratory. UO) ote k BOOT fan OW SS i