Policy Text
Property Bureau Page 1 of 3 58/03.0 (REV 2/96)
METHOD OF DISPOSAL FOR PROPERTY RELEASED ON A PERMANENT BASIS
(PROPERTY AUCTION)
The purpose of this order is to o utline the method of disposal for property released on a
permanent basis through a property auction. I. Auction of Property
A. Auctions of unclaimed property will be held by the Property Bureau on an
as-needed basis.
B. Property shall not be releas ed for auction until all applica ble laws and
statutes have been met.
C. Each auction will be contract ed to a private auctioneer. An auction
contract will be established for each auction and signed by bot h the Sheriff
and the auctioneer. It is the re sponsibility of the auctioneer to provide an
auction site and all necessary personnel for the operation of t he auction.
D. Auction fees will be establis hed by contract and deducted by the
auctioneer from the gross auction sales. The net profit will be turned over
to the Property Bureau for deposi t in the County General Fund.
E. Releasing property for auction.
1. The property receipt/report will be checked for release
authorization. All time requi rements must be met.
2. Firearms are not to be auc tioned per department policy.
3. The Declaration of Ownership s ection on the reverse side of the
pink copy of the property recei pt/report will be completed. Whe n
clearing large cases, release the items on the back of the page on
which they are listed.
a. The releasing officer will i ndicate the number of the item t o
be auctioned and page num ber if necessary for clarification,
date of release, and t heir name and badge number.
4. Attach the report or property number to the item and transfe r it to
the auction shelf.
Property Bureau Page 2 of 3 58/03.0 (REV 2/96)
F. Preparing an Auction
1. The property officer in charge of auctions will review the i tems to be
auctioned for suitability.
a. A correction entry will be ma de on the property receipt/repo rt
for any item determi ned to be unsuitable for auction. The
appropriate disposal log will be completed.
b. Property that has had the se rial number removed will be
assigned a new ident ification number.
2. Each item, or group of ite ms, will be assigned an auction nu mber.
3. An auction list shall be pr epared. This list will include th e auction
number, a description of the it em to be auctioned, and either t he
report or property number.
4. When completed, the auction lis t will be sent to the chief d eputy of
Special Services for approval.
5. An ad will be placed in a loc al newspaper for five days prio r to the
auction. A news media release w ill be prepared and submitted to
Sheriff’s staff. The ad and news release will contain the date, time
and location of the auction, and a general description of the i tems
to be auctioned.
6. The Property Bureau is responsib le for transporting the item s to the
auction site. Arrangements will be made with the auctioneer
regarding the transporting date.
G. The Auction
1. Two property officers will be assigned to stand by during th e
auction. Their duties will include:
a. Supervise the display of items.
b. Handle all questions or co mplaints from the public.
c. Answer questions for the news media. d. Assist where necessary in order to promote the efficiency of
the auction.
2. A substantial number of aucti on lists will be provided for u se by the
public.
Property Bureau Page 3 of 3 58/03.0 (REV 2/96)
3. Viewing will be permitted from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on the d ay of the
auction.
4. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. and will co ntinue until al l items are
sold.
5. If, during the auction, a cla im of ownership is made regardi ng an
item, that item will be removed i mmediately from the auction.
a. The claimant will be instru cted to contact the Property
Bureau on the following Monday with information and/or
paperwork to substantiate their claim of ownership.
6. All containers, unsold item s, and disputed items will be ret urned to
the Property Bureau by the assigned property officers.