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mickeymI actually meant to do this at Christmas, when so many people give/receive items like iPods and big-screen TVs and computers and whatnot...but better late than never, yeah?
If your local police department property room has your property, they've gotten it in one of a couple of ways:
1. You've been arrested/picked up on an outstanding warrant, or
2. Your house/car/person has been burgled, or
3. You dropped/left an item somewhere, and it was either found by someone decent enough to turn it in, or an officer found it and turned it in.
There's a good chance your property is in the property room as evidence. If that's the case, and assuming your local property room works much as mine does, you can only get it back one of two ways: the officer on the case has to approve (we call it "release") returning your property OR you go to your local courthouse, to the court administrator's office, and get a court order.
Having your attorney call down isn't going to make one bit of difference. Showing up and yelling at the clerks is only going to piss them off, and it's still not going to make a bit of difference. Showing up with a copy of the docket listing isn't a court order. A court order is signed by the judge, and has an original, inked stamp on it with date, CA's initials, etc.
It also doesn't matter if your case has been through court and is now settled. Until the officer comes down and signs an 'okay to release' slip or you get that court order, you're still not going to get your property. However, once it has been okayed to release to you, there is usually a finite amount of time that you have to get it back. Ours is 90 days from the date of release -- that's Kentucky's statute. You might check your own state's statutes so you know.
If your property ISN'T in as evidence, it'll be being held as "personal/safe-keeping" (or some variation of that), and once again, the amount of time is finite, and the same as in the above. Now I would suggest double-checking on this one, but in my property room, if an item is brought in to be held as safe-keeping, it can ONLY go back to the individual whose name is on the property slip. So if you want your husband/wife/cousin/best friend to pick that item up for you, you'll probably need to provide that person with a signed, notarized statement saying (basically): "I, (your name) give permission for (other person's name) to pick up my (items) on my behalf." Most banks or credit unions have a notary.
If you had cash on you when you were arrested, then (again, some things may vary) you'll likely get a cash voucher showing that you are owed that amount of money. The voucher will be processed by the city/locality finance department, and a check will be sent to you. My property room seldom holds money more than 24 hours; our supervisors make a bank run almost every day, M-F. Yours probably operates much the same.
**Driver/Operator Licenses: If you were pulled over for a traffic violation, and cited but not arrested, and you did NOT get your license back (officer probably forgot they had it) you can contact your property room to see if they have it. If they don't, chances are the officer still has it.
First off, keep a list somewhere -- personal vault, filing cabinet, bottom of your underwear drawer, where ever suits you -- with make/model/serial numbers of things like PDAs, cellphones, gaming systems, computers (laptops in particular), televisions, printers, guns (more on those in a bit), bicycles. Anything that has an identifying serial number should be noted down, and kept in hard-copy form (because if your computer gets stolen, you're SOL) somewhere easily accessible.
Why? Because unless you live in Mayberry, your local property room is probably going to have a shitload of all of those things (as an example? My property room currently has over 10,000 guns, and probably twice that number of cellphones) and having the serial number is going to be the ONLY way we can readily/easily find your item.
Well, you might say, why can't I come down and look through your things until I find mine? Maybe you can -- if you live in a small enough town. But in an urban area of any size, unless they do things vastly different from how LMPD does things, items (like cellphones) come in and are sealed up in an envelope, and stuck on a shelf with 103948104398120498 other same-sized envelopes. There would be no way to tell without opening up the envelopes, and only police officers and crime scene techs can do that.
Keep your serial numbers, makes and models. Make a list, copy it a couple of times, keep a copy on you and put a copy somewhere safe.
Also, if something comes into a property room that was seized during an arrest of the person who burgled you, nine times out of 10 that item is going to be held initially as evidence, which means you might not get it back for a few days, a few weeks, a few...years, if that's what it takes. If it's yours, the officer will know that, and you'll be hearing from him or her. Sit tight. (Another use for the list of makes, models, etc. is that you will be able to file a comprehensive, helpful stolen property report--which makes it that much easier to get the items back to you, in case of theft.)
If money was stolen from you (i.e., a purse), the same rule as above will apply: you'll get a cash voucher stating your locality owes you that money, and a check will be cut from the finance dept.
This is the really huge category generally known as "found and personal property", and it's the one that, along with forfeited items, provides the government-run auctions with the bulk of its items.
IF THERE IS NOTHING TO IDENTIFY THE ITEM, SUCH AS YOUR NAME OR A SERIAL NUMBER, YOU'RE PROBABLY NEVER GOING TO GET THAT ITEM BACK.
Backpacks, bikes, and keys are the ones we have the most trouble matching to owners. If you lose your keys at the grocery (or the park, the university, your local Starbucks, etc.)...unless your keys have your name on them (thus giving the officer and the clerk something to enter into the computer) somewhere, you might just as well plan on whatever hefty amount it'll cost you to get your house, car, etc., rekeyed. Remember those same-sized envelopes I mentioned above, for the cellphones? Keys are put into the same. And then 90 days later, when no one's come to claim them because there was no name or identifier on them, your keys will be "disposed" -- sent to the local grinder to become scrap metal.
Same with backpacks and bikes, though they are a little easier since they don't get shoved into an envelope. Backpacks can be described (as well as the contents), though if you can put your name and address, or name and phone # inside somewhere, that's helpful.
Find a way to inscribe your name onto your bicycle. It'll make the process of matching item to owner a LOT easier.
If you've purchased a firearm for yourself, be sure to keep the sales receipt. Copy the receipt, and keep that copy, along with make/model/serial number, somewhere separate. Keep the original separate from the firearm. Because if it's stolen along with the firearm, well, the thief now 'owns' your gun.
You'll need that sales receipt, along with the make/model/serial # to get your firearm back, if/when it's recovered. We require that, along with picture ID (and the court order, when applicable) to return a gun to its owner. If the owner doesn't have proof of ownership we give them a form they can fill out (basically providing make/model/serial #) and have notarized.
If someone gives you a gun -- say your great-grandfather had a special gun, a Colt revolver *g*, and it's been handed down through the generations -- contact your local police dept and ask them what they recommend you do to have proof of ownership on hand. Also, if the serial number has worn off, or been defaced in any way, or there is no visible serial number, ask them what you should do. Serial #s are how firearms are traced through NCIC, and unless you want the ATF confiscating it, it's best to find out what you can do to keep it legal.
If you have a firearm and a permit to carry concealed, and you keep your firearm under the front seat of your car... don't loan your car to your friend/cousin/brother-in-law/whoever, with the gun IN the car, if that individual is a convicted felon. (Which seems like common sense anyway, but you'd be surprised...) At least, don't do it if you want to see your firearm any time soon.
Whew. That's a lot of information, isn't it? Sorry. But it's good, useful information, I think.
Always keep multiple copies of information, and never together in the same place. Keep your personal information (address, in particular) up-to-date on your driver's license. Put your name on your bike. If you have to contact your local police property room, don't call there spoiling for a fight. Yes, you may be the victim, and you've gotten the run-around from fifteen different people...but the clerk on the other end of the phone is only doing his or her job within the guidelines provided to them. We can't 'bend the rules', not for you, not for anyone. Be polite and you'll probably get a lot more assistance, a lot more readily.
And if you're not the victim, if you've done something you've been arrested for, for heaven's sake, don't cop an attitude with us. We didn't tell you to go out and do whatever thing it was that got you arrested in the first place!
Like I said at the beginning of this monstrosity, specifics are going to vary from police dept to police dept. But don't wait until you've lost something, or had it stolen, or whatever, to find out what those specifics are. Call your local police non-emergency line, or look the property room up in the phone book and call them, and ask.
And if you have any questions, ask away. I might not be able to answer them, but I might, too :) (And feel free to link to this, if anyone wants to. Assuming I haven't scared y'all away yet! *G*)
If your local police department property room has your property, they've gotten it in one of a couple of ways:
1. You've been arrested/picked up on an outstanding warrant, or
2. Your house/car/person has been burgled, or
3. You dropped/left an item somewhere, and it was either found by someone decent enough to turn it in, or an officer found it and turned it in.
There's a good chance your property is in the property room as evidence. If that's the case, and assuming your local property room works much as mine does, you can only get it back one of two ways: the officer on the case has to approve (we call it "release") returning your property OR you go to your local courthouse, to the court administrator's office, and get a court order.
Having your attorney call down isn't going to make one bit of difference. Showing up and yelling at the clerks is only going to piss them off, and it's still not going to make a bit of difference. Showing up with a copy of the docket listing isn't a court order. A court order is signed by the judge, and has an original, inked stamp on it with date, CA's initials, etc.
It also doesn't matter if your case has been through court and is now settled. Until the officer comes down and signs an 'okay to release' slip or you get that court order, you're still not going to get your property. However, once it has been okayed to release to you, there is usually a finite amount of time that you have to get it back. Ours is 90 days from the date of release -- that's Kentucky's statute. You might check your own state's statutes so you know.
If your property ISN'T in as evidence, it'll be being held as "personal/safe-keeping" (or some variation of that), and once again, the amount of time is finite, and the same as in the above. Now I would suggest double-checking on this one, but in my property room, if an item is brought in to be held as safe-keeping, it can ONLY go back to the individual whose name is on the property slip. So if you want your husband/wife/cousin/best friend to pick that item up for you, you'll probably need to provide that person with a signed, notarized statement saying (basically): "I, (your name) give permission for (other person's name) to pick up my (items) on my behalf." Most banks or credit unions have a notary.
If you had cash on you when you were arrested, then (again, some things may vary) you'll likely get a cash voucher showing that you are owed that amount of money. The voucher will be processed by the city/locality finance department, and a check will be sent to you. My property room seldom holds money more than 24 hours; our supervisors make a bank run almost every day, M-F. Yours probably operates much the same.
**Driver/Operator Licenses: If you were pulled over for a traffic violation, and cited but not arrested, and you did NOT get your license back (officer probably forgot they had it) you can contact your property room to see if they have it. If they don't, chances are the officer still has it.
First off, keep a list somewhere -- personal vault, filing cabinet, bottom of your underwear drawer, where ever suits you -- with make/model/serial numbers of things like PDAs, cellphones, gaming systems, computers (laptops in particular), televisions, printers, guns (more on those in a bit), bicycles. Anything that has an identifying serial number should be noted down, and kept in hard-copy form (because if your computer gets stolen, you're SOL) somewhere easily accessible.
Why? Because unless you live in Mayberry, your local property room is probably going to have a shitload of all of those things (as an example? My property room currently has over 10,000 guns, and probably twice that number of cellphones) and having the serial number is going to be the ONLY way we can readily/easily find your item.
Well, you might say, why can't I come down and look through your things until I find mine? Maybe you can -- if you live in a small enough town. But in an urban area of any size, unless they do things vastly different from how LMPD does things, items (like cellphones) come in and are sealed up in an envelope, and stuck on a shelf with 103948104398120498 other same-sized envelopes. There would be no way to tell without opening up the envelopes, and only police officers and crime scene techs can do that.
Keep your serial numbers, makes and models. Make a list, copy it a couple of times, keep a copy on you and put a copy somewhere safe.
Also, if something comes into a property room that was seized during an arrest of the person who burgled you, nine times out of 10 that item is going to be held initially as evidence, which means you might not get it back for a few days, a few weeks, a few...years, if that's what it takes. If it's yours, the officer will know that, and you'll be hearing from him or her. Sit tight. (Another use for the list of makes, models, etc. is that you will be able to file a comprehensive, helpful stolen property report--which makes it that much easier to get the items back to you, in case of theft.)
If money was stolen from you (i.e., a purse), the same rule as above will apply: you'll get a cash voucher stating your locality owes you that money, and a check will be cut from the finance dept.
This is the really huge category generally known as "found and personal property", and it's the one that, along with forfeited items, provides the government-run auctions with the bulk of its items.
IF THERE IS NOTHING TO IDENTIFY THE ITEM, SUCH AS YOUR NAME OR A SERIAL NUMBER, YOU'RE PROBABLY NEVER GOING TO GET THAT ITEM BACK.
Backpacks, bikes, and keys are the ones we have the most trouble matching to owners. If you lose your keys at the grocery (or the park, the university, your local Starbucks, etc.)...unless your keys have your name on them (thus giving the officer and the clerk something to enter into the computer) somewhere, you might just as well plan on whatever hefty amount it'll cost you to get your house, car, etc., rekeyed. Remember those same-sized envelopes I mentioned above, for the cellphones? Keys are put into the same. And then 90 days later, when no one's come to claim them because there was no name or identifier on them, your keys will be "disposed" -- sent to the local grinder to become scrap metal.
Same with backpacks and bikes, though they are a little easier since they don't get shoved into an envelope. Backpacks can be described (as well as the contents), though if you can put your name and address, or name and phone # inside somewhere, that's helpful.
Find a way to inscribe your name onto your bicycle. It'll make the process of matching item to owner a LOT easier.
If you've purchased a firearm for yourself, be sure to keep the sales receipt. Copy the receipt, and keep that copy, along with make/model/serial number, somewhere separate. Keep the original separate from the firearm. Because if it's stolen along with the firearm, well, the thief now 'owns' your gun.
You'll need that sales receipt, along with the make/model/serial # to get your firearm back, if/when it's recovered. We require that, along with picture ID (and the court order, when applicable) to return a gun to its owner. If the owner doesn't have proof of ownership we give them a form they can fill out (basically providing make/model/serial #) and have notarized.
If someone gives you a gun -- say your great-grandfather had a special gun, a Colt revolver *g*, and it's been handed down through the generations -- contact your local police dept and ask them what they recommend you do to have proof of ownership on hand. Also, if the serial number has worn off, or been defaced in any way, or there is no visible serial number, ask them what you should do. Serial #s are how firearms are traced through NCIC, and unless you want the ATF confiscating it, it's best to find out what you can do to keep it legal.
If you have a firearm and a permit to carry concealed, and you keep your firearm under the front seat of your car... don't loan your car to your friend/cousin/brother-in-law/whoever, with the gun IN the car, if that individual is a convicted felon. (Which seems like common sense anyway, but you'd be surprised...) At least, don't do it if you want to see your firearm any time soon.
Whew. That's a lot of information, isn't it? Sorry. But it's good, useful information, I think.
Always keep multiple copies of information, and never together in the same place. Keep your personal information (address, in particular) up-to-date on your driver's license. Put your name on your bike. If you have to contact your local police property room, don't call there spoiling for a fight. Yes, you may be the victim, and you've gotten the run-around from fifteen different people...but the clerk on the other end of the phone is only doing his or her job within the guidelines provided to them. We can't 'bend the rules', not for you, not for anyone. Be polite and you'll probably get a lot more assistance, a lot more readily.
And if you're not the victim, if you've done something you've been arrested for, for heaven's sake, don't cop an attitude with us. We didn't tell you to go out and do whatever thing it was that got you arrested in the first place!
Like I said at the beginning of this monstrosity, specifics are going to vary from police dept to police dept. But don't wait until you've lost something, or had it stolen, or whatever, to find out what those specifics are. Call your local police non-emergency line, or look the property room up in the phone book and call them, and ask.
And if you have any questions, ask away. I might not be able to answer them, but I might, too :) (And feel free to link to this, if anyone wants to. Assuming I haven't scared y'all away yet! *G*)
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 12:02 am (UTC)I agree with you wholeheartedly on this issue, especially if you get burgled and want to get your stuff back. It's real easy to clip the bit of the box with the serial number you got your computer/camera/iPod in and put it somewhere safe. This is how they caught the guys who broke into our underground parking, broke a bunch of windows and stole my satellite radio.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 12:14 am (UTC)Personally, I'd be thrilled if we could do away with guns altogether. I know so many people -- my father included -- who have guns for 'personal protection', but that means gangs and thieves get bigger and badder guns, and it's just a vicious cycle. I hate guns. So much.
Unfortunately, wrt people getting their guns back from the property room... if the courts say we have to give 'em back, we have to. :(
no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 12:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 01:05 am (UTC)hell holeproperty room ;)no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 09:06 am (UTC)Thanks a lot!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-14 11:50 am (UTC)