Chain of custody is defined as:

• A. A log of all locations where evidence has been kept
• B. A digital scan of the evidence
• C. Witnessed written proof of every person who has handled the evidence since its collection
• D. A summary report filed at the end of shift

Answer: (C)

Chain of custody is all about keeping an unbroken, verifiable record of who has handled evidence from the moment it’s collected. The best choice captures this with witnessed written proof of every person who has touched the evidence since collection, creating accountability and protecting the evidence’s integrity for investigations or court. A log of locations alone doesn’t show who handled it, a digital scan is just an image and doesn’t document the handling history, and a summary at the end of a shift misses all the ongoing transfers. So the witnessed written record of every handler is the accurate representation.