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I think it's a tragic mistake, but let's not be so quick to blame the police for their insensitivity. The mistake may not be as simple as you think.
The detective that investigated the suicide is not the same person who processed the evidence. A victim's personal belongings are generally processed by a records clerk. Most of the time this person is a civilian. As the story said, a weapon would not have been returned, but the rope was probably not labeled as a weapon by the clerk.
When the decision was made to release the man's personal belongings, the person who packaged them and delivered them more than likely had no connection to the investigation.
This was a mistake caused by a breakdown in communication. The records clerk saw a rope as a personal belonging and not a weapon and was probably unaware that it was used in a suicide.
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I reject your reality, and substitute my own
-- Adam Savage
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