NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT - New Albany, Ohio

13.1.3 Final Disposition
A. Final disposition of found, recovered, and evidentiary property is to be accomplished
within six months after legal requirements have been satisfied. In all cases, the final
disposition of property/evidence will be documented on the hard copy of the Property
Record by the Property Custodian.
B. Upon receipt of non-evidentiary property that has been found and turned into the Police
Department, the submitting officer will make reasonable attempts to identify and contact
the rightful owner. If the owner cannot be notified by the submitting officer, the Property
Custodian will make additional attempts to identify and contact the rightful owner when
receipting the property in the Property Room. If an owner is identified, the Property
Custodian will contact him/her by phone and/or registered letter so that the property may
be claimed. If the owner cannot be located or fails to claim his/her property within 90
days, the unclaimed property can be disposed of or released to its finder if the finder can
legally possess the property. If the unclaimed property becomes evidence, this no longer
applies.
C. Evidence may be released to the rightful owner once all legal obligations have been met.
Evidence will not be released without written authorization of the investigating officer
and/or verbal authorization from the appropriate prosecuting attorney’s office.
D. Disposal of property may be accomplished by destroying it, converting it to municipal use,
or auctioning it.
The following items will be destroyed:
Illegal/dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia
Firearms (except those approved for conversion to Village use)
Obscene material
Beer/Alcoholic Beverages
Miscellaneous property of little or no monetary value
Before an auction of property is held, the Property Custodian will forward a list of
unclaimed/forfeited property to the Chief of Police for his/her review. Upon determination
that an item will not be converted to municipal use, the list will be forwarded to the
Attorney’s office for the request/issuance of a court order allowing the property to be
auctioned.
E. Upon approval of the Attorney’s office or the Franklin County Prosecutor’s
office (as applicable), evidentiary property will be returned to the victim as soon as
possible. The Property Custodian will arrange for the release by preparing the proper
release form and a date and time that the owner/victim may claim the property. The
owner/victim wishing to claim property must produce proper identification.
F. Property belonging to a deceased person can be released only through a court order.
G. Pursuant to O.R.C § 313.141, any weapon that has been used in a suicide will be
confiscated and kept by the Police Department. The weapon will be used for law
enforcement purposes or will be destroyed. Any decision regarding the disposition of
such weapons will be at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
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