It shall be the duty of the Police Department to preserve and store all property coming into its possession in the normal course of its duties.
(a) 
Evidence: Property of evidential value in a case for which an arrest or crime report has been made or property which is, or may be, of evidential value, but has not been connected with any specific arrest or crime report at the time the property is booked.
(b) 
Found: Property which has been found by a private person or officer and is not of evidential value.
(c) 
Prisoner's property: Property in possession of an arrestee, not of evidential value.
(Prior Code § 28-1)
All property coming into the possession of the Police Department as evidence in a criminal case shall be returned to the owner upon final disposition of the criminal matter. If the owner cannot be identified after reasonable efforts have been made to make such identification, the property shall be deemed unclaimed. Evidentiary property which has been deemed unclaimed shall not be disposed of until after all the provisions outlined in Section 1411 of the California Penal Code have been met.
(Prior Code § 28-2)
Reasonable effort shall be made to ascertain ownership of personal property and its return. All such property shall be held by the Police Department for a minimum period of 90 days. That property which has been held the minimum period as specified in this section, and ownership has not been established, shall be deemed unclaimed.
(Prior Code § 28-2; Ord. 85-1105 § 1, eff. 9/17/85)
This property shall be held until the subject has been released, or has been sentenced to jail, prison or hospital. When subject has been sentenced to other than a local jail, this property will then be sent to that jail, prison or hospital. If the owner has been released without formal sentencing, the property may be claimed by him immediately. If the property is not claimed, reasonable effort shall be made to effect its return. If unable to locate the owner, the property shall be held the minimum of four months and deemed unclaimed.
(Prior Code § 28-2)
(a) 
The finder may claim the found property, if the value of the property is $50 or more, under the following provisions:
(1) 
No owner appears and proves ownership within 90 days.
(2) 
Finder shall place a notice of item(s) found, at least once, in a newspaper of general publication, at the end of the initial 90 day period.
(3) 
If, after seven days following the publication of the notice and no owner responds and proves ownership, the title of the property shall rest with the finder.
(4) 
To show proof of publication, the finder shall produce a receipt of publication to the person in charge of property after seven days following the publication.
(5) 
If the owner appears and produces proof of ownership after the item(s) have been published in a newspaper, the owner shall reimburse the finder the cost of publication.
(b) 
If the reported value of the found property is less than $50 and no owner appears and proves ownership of the property within 90 days, the title shall rest in the person who found the property without publication in a newspaper.
(c) 
No property may be claimed, pursuant to this section, if the property was found in the course of employment by an employee of any public agency, in which case the property shall be sold at public auction.
(Prior Code § 28-3(a—e))
(a) 
All property to be sold shall be transferred to the Director of Finance for public sale. Any property that has been transferred shall not be redeemable by the owner or other persons entitled to possession. If the Director of Finance determines that any such property transferred for sale is needed for public use, such property may be retained and need not be sold.
(b) 
Any unclaimed property which apparently has no intrinsic value, at the discretion of the Property Officer, may be destroyed.
(c) 
Prior to the releasing of such property to the Director of Finance, the Police Department shall publish a list of such property to be transferred for public auction. The list shall be published at least five days prior to the time affixed for transfer in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county.
(d) 
Pursuant to the authority of Welfare and Institutions Code Section 217, any bicycles or toys, or both, in the possession of the Police Department which have been unclaimed for a period of at least 60 days may, at the discretion of the Chief of Police, instead of being sold at public auction to the highest bidder, be turned over to the Probation Officer, to the Welfare Department of the county, or to any charitable or nonprofit organization which is authorized under its articles of incorporation to participate in a program or activity designed to prevent juvenile delinquency and which is exempt from income taxation under Federal or State law, or both, for use in any program or activity designed to prevent juvenile delinquency.
(Prior Code § 28-3; Ord. 88-16 § 1, eff. 10/20/88; Ord. 2017-01 §§ 8, 9, eff. 3/9/17)
It shall be the duty of the Police Department to keep full, detailed and accurate accounts and records containing a description of all property coming into its possession and showing the disposition thereof.
(Prior Code § 28-5)
The ordinance codified in this chapter is passed and adopted pursuant to and in accordance with Sections 1407 and 1418 of the Penal Code and Sections 2080 through 2080.9 of the Civil Code of the State.
(Prior Code § 28-6)