Election Investigations Guidebook as well as the representative from the receiving institution, to review and sign an itemized evidence list.413 SOPs should provide instructions for signing out evidence, monitoring the appropriate length of time for its removal, and securing it while at an external location to protect its integrity.414 Extending the standards outlined by the American Bar Association to this context, investigative bodies should ensure that evidence is returned to individual owners or official archives upon the completion of investigation and adjudication processes, unless a competent authority provides that evidence remains in custody.415 In such circumstances, investigative bodies should return items in the condition in which they were obtained, to the greatest extent possible, and procure a signed receipt indicating disposition.416 Security To prevent unauthorized persons from interfering with the chain of custody, investigative bodies should incorporate specifications for limited access to the designated evidence control area into their SOPs. Specific security measures help preserve admissibility by ensuring that the evidence has not been compromised or physically altered.417 As a general rule, “access restriction protects the proper chain of custody.”418 SOPs should, therefore, limit access to the designated control area to authorized personnel only.419 Furthermore, “policy should define who has access to keys, access control, key duplication, changing of locks or access code with changes of personnel, access logs, after-hours procedures, and alarm testing.”420 Through use of an access log, investigative bodies must carefully monitor entry into restricted storage areas in order to guard against the possibility of alteration, unauthorized 413 Cf. Christian A. Nielsen & Jann K. Kleffner, supra note 408, at 56. 414 Latta & Giles, supra note 399, at 21. 415 American Bar Association Standards for Prosecutorial Investigations, supra note 82, § 2.14(h) ] (“Upon termination of the investigation and related proceedings, physical evidence other than contraband should be returned promptly to the person from whom it was obtained, absent an agreement, court order or requirement of law to the contrary.”). 416 Cf. Canadian Investigators’ Manual Ch. 9, supra note 401, at 5. 417 Handbook on the ECP Election Complaints Process, supra note 22, at 12. 418 Latta & Giles, supra note 399, at 35. 419 Id. 420 Id. 120