5-04/080.30 - Transfer of Property/Evidence to Central Property



Property and evidence shall be maintained at decentralized facilities for a minimal time period.  The collective repository for items shall be Central Property.  Found property shall be transferred to Central Property within 30 days of the item’s booking date in PRELIMS in accordance with section 5-04/120.20 Found Property Processing and Disposition.  Deliveries should be scheduled with the Central Property custodian.

Property and evidence items, monies with a HOLD status, and valuables shall be held at the station/unit no longer than 120 days from the item’s booking date in PRELIMS and shall be transferred to Central Property within 90-120 days, or sooner, of the item’s booking date in PRELIMS.  See section 5-04/090.20 "Hold" Currency.

Property can be transferred to Central Property prior to the 120-day maximum; however, processing of property for transfer to Central Property shall commence no later than 90 days from the time the property is held to ensure transfer within the 120-day maximum.  Deliveries should be scheduled with the Central Property custodian.

Each month the station/unit property custodian shall gather property/evidence items stored at the station/unit 90-120 days from the items booking date in PRELIMS for transfer to Central Property.  PRELIMS will facilitate this operation by reporting items of property/evidence that meet these criteria.

Only those items which are needed for a specified court appearance or a continuing active investigation, blood and urine specimens, and opened alcoholic beverages or samples shall be excluded from transfer to Central Property.

Property and evidence excluded from transfer to Central Property for a pending trial date or an active investigation shall be authorized in writing by the unit property lieutenant and is subject to review at the end of each 30-day period.  These written authorizations shall be scanned into PRELIMS to document this written authorization.

Evidence and property held by Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, Homicide Bureau, and Scientific Services Bureau for investigative and/or laboratory examination purposes shall be exempt from the 120-day time mandate for transfer to Central Property. These units are not required to obtain written authorization by the unit property lieutenant to retain evidence and property at their respective units past this 120-day time limit.