Policy Text
Seized Property - Tangible property an officer takes possession of for some lawful purpose.
Unclaimed Property - Any tangible personal property, including cash, not included within the
definition of "a contraband article" as provided in FSS 705.105, seized by a law enforcement
agency and intended for use in a criminal or quasi-criminal proceeding and is retained by the law
enforcement agency or the clerk of the county or circuit court for 60 days after the conclusion of
the proceeding and to which no claim of ownership has been made.
III. PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE FUNCTION:
A. Property and Evidence personnel is held accountable for all property accepted by, stored in,
or under the control of the Property and Evidence Section.
B. All records relating to the Property and Evidence Section, whether computerized or written,
are kept in designated secure areas to prevent removal or manipulation.
C. All property and evidence stored by the Department is stored in a designated secure area to
ensure proper control.
D. The Property and Evidence Section is responsible for the storage of all vehicles, vessels and
aircraft in custody for court disposition.
1. The impounding party is responsible for ensuring the vehicle, vessel, or aircraft is disposed
of properly.
E. The Property and Evidence Section accept property and/or evidence 24 hours a day, (7) days
a week.
1. All property submitted to the Property and Evidence Section is entered into the
Department records by the end of the shift during operational hours.
2. During the Property and Evidence Section operational hours, property and/or evidence
may be submitted directly to property and evidence personnel.
3. At all other times, property and/or evidence will be placed in the appropriate secure
storage locker.
4. Large or bulk items will be placed in a Property and Evidence cage in the basement of the
parking garage. The cage will be locked after the large or bulk items are placed in the
cage.
5. All Items requiring refrigeration will be placed in the temporary secure refrigerators in the
Evidence Processing Area after regular business hours. This refrigerator is connected to
the building emergency generator.
6. Vehicles will be secured in the locked fenced compound on the top of the parking garage
and the THI Lot. Arrangements will be made for vehicles too large to access the garage
on a case-by-case basis.
Original issue: July 3, 1989, Property and Evidence Management
Revised: September 24, 2025 Policy IV-11
IV. PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE SECTION
SECURITY:
A. Access to Property and Evidence areas are controlled to prevent the alteration, unauthorized
removal, theft, or other compromise of property and evidence stored by the agency and to
maintain chain of custody. Only authorized Property and Evidence personnel have access to
the Property and Evidence Section and designated storage areas. No other members have
access unless accompanied by a Property and Evidence member.
B. Any person authorized to enter the property storage area, other than personnel assigned to
the area, must sign the Entry Logbook prior to entering the property storage areas and fill in
the required information:
1. Date.
2. Name and I.D. number, when an employee. When not an employee, the name and the
phone number of the business they represent.
Reason for entering.
3. Time entered, and time exited.
C. Visitors in the Property and Evidence Section are monitored by Property and Evidence
personnel at all times.
D. Cameras and electronic entrance keypad are used to monitor entrances/exits of property
storage areas to ensure integrity, compliance with procedure and authorized access.
1. The cameras operate on a 24 hour a day basis and will be reviewed when unauthorized
entry is detected.
E. Extra security measures are taken for the handling of exceptional, valuable or sensitive items
of property, i.e., money/negotiable instruments, precious metals, jewelry, weapons, and
drugs.
1.
These items are stored in separate, secure areas within the Department's Property and
area.
Evidence storage