Evidence and file management

Evidence provides the supporting materials for a case or investigation.Evidence added to a case or investigation in Axon Records is also uploaded to Axon Evidence. As a result of this integration, users can:

  • Attach digital evidence to cases and investigations
  • Organize evidence into folders
  • Review evidence media and metadata directly within Axon Records

All files added directly to incidents, cases, and investigations or to reports associated with these items appear on the Files tab of their profiles. This tab displays all main folders that have been created, as well as a complete list of all files that appear in all folders. The most recently created files appear at the top of the list. The following information is included for each file:

  • ID
  • Report # (if the file was added to a report)
  • Title
  • Owner
  • Created by
  • Created on
  • Transcript summary
  • Category
  • Tags
  • Status
    The screenshot shows a file management interface with the Files tab selected at the top. The interface includes categorized folders, each displaying the number of files within. On the right side, options to Create a Folder and Add File are visible. Below, a table lists files with columns for ID, report number, title, owner, created by, created on, category, tags, and status. Checkboxes are available to select files, and multiple rows are populated with file details.

When viewing the Files tab, you can take the following actions:

  • View file media, transcripts, and moments
  • Edit metadata
  • Create folders and subfolders
  • Add and remove files

View files

When you select a file's title, an evidence preview pane opens and displays additional information about the file. Depending on the file type, this pane may include multiple tabs:

  • Overview: This tab shows the same metadata that appears on the Overview tab of the Axon Evidence details page, as well as a transcript summary (if available).
  • Transcript: This tab only appears for audio and video files and behaves the same as the Transcript tab on the Axon Evidence details page.
  • Moments: This tab shows AI-detected key moments (e.g., Miranda Rights) within a piece of evidence with timestamps.
    Note

    This tab only appears for customers who have purchased Brief One. Contact Axon Support or your Axon representative if you are interested in purchasing this product.

To view the full evidence details page in Axon Evidence, select Details page at the bottom of the pane.
The image shows two layered screenshots. In the top screenshot, the Files tab shows a list of files. In the bottom screenshot, the Evidence Details page in Axon Evidence is shown, including options for actions like download, reassign, audit trail, and delete. A yellow arrow connects a file in the Files tab in the top screenshot to the file name in the bottom screenshot.

This video explains how files added to Axon Evidence and Axon Records are related.

Create folders

You can create folders and subfolders to better organize your evidence within a case or investigation.

Some organizations have configured a folder structure to be automatically created whenever an incident or case is created. This folder structure is based on the default case template that can be managed from the Case Settings page in Axon Evidence. For more information about managing the default case template, see Case settings.

When creating folders, you can create main folders, which appear when you first open the Files tab, and subfolders, which are contained either within the main folders or other subfolders.

To create a main folder, take these steps:

  1. Open the case profile and switch to the Files tab.
  2. Select Create a folder.
  3. Enter a meaningful name for the folder and select Create.
    The screenshot shows the Files tab. On the right, the Create a Folder option is highlighted, and a dialog box is open, allowing the user to input a folder name with options to cancel or create the folder.

To create a subfolder within a main folder:

  1. Open the case profile and switch to the Files tab.
  2. Select a folder within the main folder.
  3. Select Create a folder.
  4. Enter a meaningful name for the folder and select Create.
    The screenshot shows the Files tab with the Scene Photos folder selected, listing multiple files. The Create a Folder option is highlighted, and a dialog box is open, allowing the user to name a new subfolder within the current folder. A yellow arrow points from the file list breadcrumbs to the dialog box, emphasizing where the folder appears in the folder structure.

When viewing a folder, you can see where it appears within the folder structure by looking at the folder breadcrumb list that appears above the files contained within the folder. You can quickly navigate back to higher level folders by selecting the folder name.The screenshot shows the Files tab with a navigation breadcrumb indicating the user is in the Statements folder within Documents. Below, a table lists files with columns for ID, report number, title, owner, creation date, and status.

Note

Two subfolders contained within the same folder cannot have the same name.

Once a folder has been created, select More actions [...] to either rename or delete the folder. When deleting a folder, you can choose to delete the folders and keep the files in the case or delete the folders and remove the files from the case. To delete the files entirely, open Axon Evidence.
The image shows two layered screenshots. In the top screenshot, the Files tab is selected, displaying several folders. The options menu open for the Scene Photos folder is open, showing Rename and Delete. In the bottom screenshot, a Delete Folder dialog is visible, offering options to delete the folder structure while keeping evidence in the case or to delete the folder, subfolders, and evidence from the case, with Cancel and Delete Folder buttons at the bottom.

Moving subfolders between folders currently is not supported. Instead, select More actions [...] > Manage files on Axon Evidence to move the folders from within Axon Evidence.

Add files

Files can be added to the main All files section, or to a specific folder. Additionally, files can be added to a single folder or multiple folders. If a file appears in multiple folders, it still only appears once in the All files list.

To add files:

  1. Open the folder where you want the file to appear.
  2. Select Add file.
  3. Use the Suggested, Upload, and Search tabs (explained below) to find files that have already been added to Axon Evidence or to upload new files.
    • When reviewing the evidence on any of these tabs, select the evidence title to open the evidence preview window that displays additional information.
  4. After choosing or uploading files, select Add.
    The screenshot shows the Security Footage folder within the Files tab, listing three files. In the upper-right corner, options to Create a Folder and Add File are visible, with the Add File option highlighted.

Suggested tab

The Suggested tab contains recommendations for evidence you may want to add to the incident. Evidence is suggested based on the following criteria:

  • Any Evidence ID that matches the ID of a case, incident, report, or the CFS ID
  • Evidence you uploaded in the past 72 hours that hasn't been added to the report

Use the search fields to find specific evidence within the suggestion list and the checkboxes to add multiple files at the same time.
The image shows the Add File dialog with three tabs: Suggested, Upload, and Search. The Suggested tab is highlighted in yellow. Below, there are fields for filtering files by ID, title, users, and date range. A list of files is displayed, showing two entries with titles, IDs, creator names, creation dates, and statuses. Each file has a checkbox next to it for selection.

Upload tab

To add new files, switch to the Upload tab and either drag and drop files from your computer or select Chose files. Use the Upload to folder menu to set which folder the files should be added to, optionally add a description or update the file names, and select Add.
Shows how to upload new files.

If you do not select a folder from the Upload to Folder field, the files are added to the All Files list. You can also easily create a new folder when uploading files by typing the new folder name in the Upload to Folder field and selecting the Create new option that appears.
Shows how to create a new folder when uploading new files.

You can upload one or more files, or full folders. If the folder you upload contains subfolders, the subfolders will be uploaded along with the files they contain. After selecting the files and folders from your local file system, the Upload tab displays the files that will be uploaded, as well as the folder the files will appear in.
The image shows three layered screenshots. The top screenshot displays a file explorer window with folders named Images and Statements under the Evidence directory. The middle screenshot shows the Upload Files tab, listing files with columns for title, size, case folder name, and progress. Yellow arrows connect the files to their respective folders in the third screenshot. This bottom screenshot shows the Files tab, displaying folders named Images and Statements with their file counts.

Search tab

The Search tab lets you search for evidence that has already been uploaded to Axon Evidence. Use the search fields to find specific evidence and the checkboxes to add multiple files at the same time.
The image shows the Add File dialog with three tabs: Suggested, Upload, and Search. The Search tab is highlighted in yellow. Below, there are fields for filtering files by ID, title, users, and date range. A list of files is displayed, showing four entries with titles, IDs, creator names, creation dates, and statuses. Each file has a checkbox next to it for selection.

Edit metadata

Use the checkboxes to select one or more files then select Edit Metadata to update (add or remove) the tag or category for the files. The categories and tags that appear in the dropdown menus are the same as those that appear in Axon Evidence.
The screenshot shows the Files tab containing multiple folders and files. Two files are selected, highlighted by a yellow box. In the upper-right corner the Edit Metadata menu is expanded to show options for category and tag.

Remove files

To remove a file, take these steps:

  1. Open the folder that contains the files you want to remove.
  2. Select the checkboxes beside the files you want to move.
  3. Select More Actions [...] and choose one of the following options:
    • Remove from Folder: Removes the file from the folder but not from the case. Once removed, the file appears in the All Files section that is displayed when you first open the Files tab.
    • Remove from Case: Removes the file from both the folder and the case.

The screenshot shows the Scene Photos folder within the Files tab, listing multiple files with details such as ID, report number, title, owner, and status. A file is selected, and a menu accessed via the ellipsis icon is open, displaying options to Remove from Folder or Remove from Case.

If a file was added to the case because it was originally part of a report associated with the case, the file is also removed from the report when it is removed from the case.

To delete a file, open Axon Evidence, find the file, and schedule it for deletion.

Sync with Axon Evidence

The files and folders that appear on the Files tab in Axon Records and Axon Standards also appear on the Evidence tab of the corresponding case in Axon Evidence. Any changes made to the files or folders in Axon Records or Axon Standards immediately display in Axon Evidence, and changes made in Axon Evidence immediately display in Axon Records or Axon Standards.
The image shows two layered screenshots. In the left screenshot, the Files tab is selected, displaying categorized folders such as Documents, Scene Photos, Security Footage, and Victim Photos, with a table listing file details below. In the right screenshot, the Evidence tab in Axon Evidence is highlighted, showing the same folders. A yellow arrow connects the Files tab to the Evidence tab, emphasizing their relationship.

When viewing a case in Axon Records or Axon Standards, you can open the corresponding case in Axon Evidence, by selecting More Actions [...] > Manage files on Axon Evidence.
The screenshot displays the Files tab with folders, showing file counts for each category. Below the folders, a table lists files with details like ID, title, owner, creation date, and status. In the upper-right corner, the More Actions menu is expanded with the Manage Files on Axon Evidence option highlighted.