What happens during a controlled opening?
In short: The box is opened on continuous, timestamped video with the seal and the packs in frame, and the recording is never paused or cut. Each hit is sleeved the moment it is pulled and its condition recorded as observed.
The opening is the heart of a documented break. Everything about it is set up so that anyone watching the recording later can see there was no opportunity for a swap.
Before the camera starts
Each box or case has already been logged into custody at intake, weighed against reference, and had its seal and shrink pattern photographed. Anything that does not look factory-sealed is flagged before it is opened. See how I check if a box was resealed.
Anyone who will appear on camera is told before recording starts and can stand out of frame. I record product and hands, not faces, wherever that is possible. See do I have to agree to be recorded?.
On camera
- The seal and the packs stay in frame. The viewer sees the factory seal broken and each pack come out of the box.
- The video is continuous and timestamped. It is never paused or cut. A gap in the footage would be a gap in the proof.
- Every hit is sleeved the moment it is pulled. Before it touches the table, it goes into a sleeve.
- Condition is recorded as observed. Centering, surface, corners and edges, with photographs, at the time on the record. See how I record condition.
After the last pack
Documented cards go into new sleeves and holders and then locked storage under the custody log, until they are returned to you, shipped, or sent on through the submission hub. See what happens to the cards after the break.
Where it happens
At your premises or an agreed venue in the Yuma area. The practice has no storefront. See where breaks happen.
The recording is kept for seven years under the retention and consent policy.