Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base
Military Defense Investigation Authority Publication
Authority Publication No. DI-098
Investigating Urinalysis Cases: Collection Errors, Laboratory Records, and Innocent-Ingestion Claims
Independent Military Defense Investigations
Supporting Attorneys, Service Members, and Families
Publication Date: August 31, 2026
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Executive Summary
A positive urinalysis result is an important laboratory finding, but it is not the entire investigation. A reliable defense review examines the specimen's complete path from selection and collection through sealing, storage, shipment, accession, screening, confirmation, review, and reporting.
Authority Publication DI-098 explains how to compare collection rosters, observer and coordinator records, bottle and seal information, chain-of-custody documents, shipment records, laboratory accession materials, instrument data, quality controls, confirmation results, review notes, and governing procedures.
The publication also addresses medication, supplements, food, accidental exposure, and innocent-ingestion claims. These explanations require evidence concerning the substance, timing, dose, source, availability, records, witnesses, and scientific limitations; possibility alone is not proof.
A defense-focused guide to auditing specimen collection, custody, laboratory testing, reporting, discrepancies, and evidence supporting innocent-ingestion claims.
What readers will learn
- Trace the specimen from collection through final reporting.
- Compare identifiers, seals, custody records, accession data, and laboratory documentation.
- Evaluate discrepancies without minimizing or exaggerating their significance.
- Separate what a concentration establishes from timing, route, and impairment claims.
- Develop and test medication, exposure, or innocent-ingestion explanations with evidence.
Who Should Read This Publication?
Military Defense Counsel
Use this publication to define the contested step, request the necessary collection and laboratory records, and determine when toxicology or laboratory expertise is needed.
Defense Investigators
Learn how to build a specimen timeline, reconcile identifiers and custody documents, interview collection personnel, and document alternative-exposure evidence.
Service Members
Understand what records may exist, why a positive result does not answer every factual question, and what documentation may be needed to evaluate medication or exposure explanations.
Experts
Use the organized collection and laboratory record to assess analytical reliability, scientific meaning, discrepancies, concentration limits, and competing ingestion or exposure explanations.
Families
Learn what receipts, medication records, supplements, medical information, witnesses, and timelines may help counsel evaluate a claimed innocent explanation without altering or discarding evidence.
Companion Video
This companion video expands on the investigative concepts presented in this Authority Publication through additional explanation, practical examples, and professional investigative insight.
About Michael West
The investigative guidance presented throughout these Authority Publications is based upon decades of professional experience conducting military, federal, criminal, civil, and private investigations. The principles discussed in these publications are drawn from real investigative work involving complex cases, witness development, evidence analysis, and factual case preparation.
Michael West has served as a Special Agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and the Department of Defense Inspector General, conducted federal background investigations, and spent decades working as a licensed private investigator supporting attorneys, businesses, service members, and private clients. Throughout his career, his work has focused on identifying facts, locating witnesses, analyzing evidence, and strengthening the factual foundation of legal cases through independent investigation.
The Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base was created to share that investigative experience in a practical, understandable format. Its purpose is to help attorneys, service members, and families better understand the investigative process, ask more informed questions, and recognize opportunities where independent investigation may strengthen the defense.
Important Information
This Authority Publication is provided for educational and informational purposes and is intended to help readers better understand military defense investigations and the investigative process. It is based upon professional investigative experience and is designed to provide practical investigative insight rather than legal advice.
Every military case is unique. The investigative strategies, factual issues, and legal considerations applicable to one case may not apply to another. Readers should consult with a qualified attorney regarding legal rights, legal strategy, and decisions involving their individual circumstances.
Nothing contained in this publication should be interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship or an investigator-client relationship. References to investigative techniques, procedures, or case examples are provided solely to illustrate investigative principles and should not be considered legal guidance.
Effective military defense is strengthened by informed legal representation supported by thorough factual investigation. The purpose of these Authority Publications is to help readers better understand that investigative process so they can communicate more effectively with qualified legal counsel and make informed decisions throughout the military justice process.