Property & Evidence Unit

The Evidence Technician is responsible for managing all property and evidence which comes into the police department. This includes three distinct functions; receiving, storage, and disposition. Receiving property and evidence includes the responsibility for proper packaging, documentation, safety and security of the items. Contamination of evidence by improper packaging can lead to questions of evidence validity in court. If precise documentation rules aren’t followed; including correct descriptions of evidence, serial number notation and receipts given to property owners, then there is also a question of the integrity of the evidence. Property received into the department includes a wide variety of items including; bikes, personal property, guns, drugs, biological evidence, money and any items which may be viewed as evidence. Proper packaging assures a barrier between the evidence handlers and the potentially hazardous items.

The storage of property poses significant space problems with not only the wide variety of items submitted, but the quantity of items as well. There are thousands of items of evidence submitted to the police department every year. These include items as small as a hair and as large as a car. It is important to have space and a storage system to hold the items and be able to retrieve them when needed for court, disposal or return when the case is completed. 

The disposition of the property and evidence is an ongoing and time consuming aspect of managing the property function. Personal property may be released by appointment after the owner has been determined. Following the completion of a court case and all appeal periods have expired, the owners of the property may be notified to claim their items. Items which are contraband are destroyed, while other items are auctioned via an online auction company (http://www.propertyroom.com) 

Lost Property:
 Lost property can be reported via the Reporting Lost Property form.
  
Release of Property:
Found Property:
Persons who would like to claim items they found may be able to after 90 days. (2080 Civil Code). 
 
Evidentiary & Safekeeping Property:
Property is released by appointment only. If you would like to set up an appointment for the return of items, please contact the Property and Evidence Department.