5-04/090.20 - "Hold" Currency



All currency and coin in possession of the Department which may be introduced as evidence in a court proceeding or bills and coins which constitute collectors' items as defined in section 5-04/050.20 Item Type - Property and Evidence shall:

  • Be placed in a sealed, transparent, serialized evidence bag, when possible, and affixed with a PRELIMS-generated bar-coded property label;  
  • Be recorded in PRELIMS with a STATUS of HOLD; and  
  • Be stored in the safe under the direct supervision of a watch commander.

The watch commander shall determine whether the item is evidence (CATEGORY) and/or a collectible (ITEM TYPE). If an item is determined to be a collectible, it shall be identified as a “keepsakes/collectible” item type in PRELIMS and shall be stored in the safe.  The watch commander or designee shall be responsible for verifying that the status of any item placed in the safe is HOLD or updating the status of items in the safe to HOLD in PRELIMS.

The safe is considered a secure location in PRELIMS which requires entry of two Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to transfer custody of an item into or out of the storage location.  Watch commander approval is required to transfer an item into or out of the safe.  This approval occurs when the watch commander enters his Personal Identification Number (PIN) in PRELIMS during the electronic transfer process. See Section 5-04/070.70 Safeguarding Money and Valuables.

All money and collectibles with a STATUS of HOLD shall be transferred to the Central Property custodian within 90-120 days of the item’s booking date in PRELIMS unless a court or case disposition is obtained and appropriate disposition authorization is received from the investigating officer and lieutenant or designee.  Upon obtaining a court disposition or when an investigation becomes inactive, all collectibles with a STATUS of HOLD shall be returned to the owner. If not returned to the owner within three weeks, the station/unit shall transfer the money/currency or keepsakes/collectors' items to Central Property.  Money/currency with a STATUS of HOLD, upon similar dispositions, shall have the item’s status updated to DEPOSIT, and the money shall be deposited in the Department's trust fund as soon as feasible.

Custody of money/currency or keepsakes/collectibles with a STATUS of HOLD shall be transferred in PRELIMS to the concerned Department member should the items be required for court. A custody transfer in PRELIMS shall be recorded for any such money or collectibles returned to the Central Property custodian or station/unit property custodian.  See section 5-04/080.10 Interim Removal, Transfer and/or Release of Property and Evidence to Court.

Money/currency and keepsakes/collectibles with a STATUS of HOLD that receive investigating officer and lieutenant or designee authorization in PRELIMS for a final disposition (i.e., deposit, release to owner, etc.) shall be transferred from the safe with the appropriate Personal Identification Number (PIN) entries and the items’ STATUS updated, as appropriate, in PRELIMS.