Police send unpleasant email

[hogge]

I don't see anything wrong with her response at all. I think it was done very professionally and courtious. As for giving them everything I had found to be returned, I don't think I would go that far. If it was lost and advertised as lost, and the detectorist found the item, then I would return it, of course.

 

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[RPG]

I really don't see anything unpleasant about the e-mail, You just have to remember, what they don't know won't hurt them.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I also don't find it unsettling or unpleasant, she only said it would be helpful.

Do your own search on the items you wish to trace if you wish.......

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Uh, I took the " What would be helpful is that you turn in..." thing to mean that it is mandatory.

Try this, wherever you are, in the USA: Walk in to your local police dept, and ask to speak to the "Evidence and Property Division" clerk. Ask him/her, if ..... hypothetically ..... you were to be walking down the street, and find a nice gold ring. Would you need to legally turn it in to the police dept. lost & found? or are you are able to keep it? See what they say. Naturally, I think that there is probably legal code that requires items, perhaps above a given dollar amount, to be turned in to the police, right? Therefore I took this lady's "... helpful..." comment, to mean that this is law. (ie.: "please abide by the law in the future", or whatever)

Once again, I am re-stating the "un-pleasant" to say that, yes, it was a pleasant email. Tone was nice, etc... The un-pleasant part, was this implication that we md'rs need to turn in everything. Now does it make sense?

For those of you who saw nothing un-pleasant about that, am I to understand that you turn in all your jewelry to lost and found dept's at police stations where you're at?

 

[BIG61AL]

cops are notorious for keeping property. when I was younger a police detective lived on my block. every July forth he set off a huge fireworks display. of course it was all fireworks that was confiscated by the police. my dad was a auxiliary police officer and I was around cops a lot. I've seen their true selves. I have seen with my own eyes felonies committed. personally I would not trust any law officer to return any thing of value to the legal owner nor to pass up an opportunity to accuse the finder of being a thief.

 

[Tank69]

unless somebody apraoches me an asks if I have found ""said item in detail"" it becomes property of my pocket an gets taken home ,dont whine you lost it not me I aint giving nuthin up unless I have to .


ok let the harsh remarks start

 

[lostcauses]

Some states have laws, some city's and county have laws.

You "I find it I keep it" folks are ones that will help get such as metal detecting out law.

One can gain clear title to such finds by following the laws. Take photos of the item and make sure to get a recipt for the item if you turn it in. Also know the law and how long you need to wait and how to make the claim on the item as the finder.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

lost-causes, you are putting the rubber where it meets the road. That is: taken to it's logical conclusion, you would be right about these are lost and found laws. Now whether or not persons ignoring that law will get metal detecting out-lawed, is another interesting issue.

The way I thought about it, when I got the email, is that YES! If this lady got wind of the fact that I do (and others like me) do routinely find goodies, it may indeed be a factor in a small town to just say "phooey, no more metal detecting". So does that mean that in order to avoid this bad stigma to detecting, that we all should start turning in our jewelry? Or does it only mean we shouldn't go making waves about the stuff we find? Wouldn't that second option make us all dishonest lawbreakers? I mean, go figure: this lady in this dept, at this little tourist town, may actually, in fact, get reports now and then of lost jewelry on the beach (this is a VERY upscale resort tourist beach). Can you imagine her mindset, if she figures out that a lot of what she takes reports on, may in fact just be "walking away" with these guys who have metal detectors? In that case, how could you blame her for her dis-satisfaction for those who just find and take? I mean, she also takes "found" reports too. So why wouldn't she consider those who just pocket things, to be anything less than opportunistic thieves?

THAT is why I started thinking maybe it's not a good idea to list found items, because it merely raises red flags, and makes people wonder "gee, I wonder if he's turning things in to the lost & found dept?" Or perhaps I just should not have said "found with a metal detector".

I wouldn't have a problem with turning in items, and seeing them re-united with their right-ful owner. But I really wonder if everything gets returned to finders, when no one comes forth in 90 days via the police dept.

While I'm sure that most all cops and desk clerks at police stations are honest, I wonder if there are any cases of some md'r just getting a "yeah it was claimed. Cya later bye-bye". How many hands, at a police dept, does it go through (or how many hands have access to the info), to where it would only take one wheel in the cog, to tell their buddy "come down and tell them you lost a rolex, and you'll have yourself a nice watch" And when things are alleged to have been "returned", do we ever get to know who it was returned to? Or is that information private and only known to the police dept?

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

The tone of the laws posted is a little unsettling too (to me, anyway).

It makes it sound like it will COST ME MONEY to turn something in and get it back, if someone doesn't claim it.

Am I reading that part incorrectly?

That's the very reason I hate mining claims in the state of New Mexico. They auction it off to the general public after you make a discovery, and they take the money. (state claims).

B

 

[jeff of pa]

The tone of the laws posted is a little unsettling too (to me, anyway).

It makes it sound like it will COST ME MONEY to turn something in and get it back, if someone doesn't claim it.

Am I reading that part incorrectly?

That's the very reason I hate mining claims in the state of New Mexico. They auction it off to the general public after you make a discovery, and they take the money. (state claims).

B

Yes the police will charge a storage fee
on some items .
Even on Your behalf in some cases.

Unfortunately not that many of us
care about being compensated
but by turning something
in we may need to compensate them
to get it back. But I would think this
is for Large items like Cars, or Live
items like animals & Kids.

but it's already well known
the police have more rights to
lost property , charging for storage, etc.
then us.

 

[art of fact]

tom,just wanted to let you know I knew what you were trying to say ,keep your mouth shut and just keep detecting,Makes alot of sense to me.lostcause,You aud a couple of other tnetters seem to like calling other mders a crook the first chance that you get,Statements like that will be the downfall to mders.Unfortunetly about 65 to 70% of the average individual at some point is willingly dishonest,As for police its like around 65 to 70%,go figure,I guess there human.

 

[johnnycat]

If I find something of value I will check the lost and found in the newspaper. If the item is old and down 5" or so I check with nobody!!. The only things I will take or show the police dept'. are things that could be harmful.

 

[ESC]

The police are honest hard working people, they take an oath to serve and protect. The very idea that you would think otherwise is very un-settling.



GG~

HA HAHAHA


RIGHT!!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

99.9 % of police are honest, there are dishonest people in every profession.....

As far as lost and found, if there is no engraving or describable marks, there is no way for someone to prove the lost item is theirs. My ex use to work for JC Penny jewelry department, the same ring is ordered in lots, just because Jane Doe lost a 1/2 carrot diamond ring at South Beach doesn't mean the one you found is the one she lost.

You want to be able to recover your jewelry if lost, engrave it. If you can't prove jewelry I found is yours by engraving or describable marks, it's mine.

 

[Cappy Z.]

99.9 % of police are honest, there are dishonest people in every profession.....

As far as lost and found, if there is no engraving or discribable marks, there is no way for someone to prove the lost item is theirs. My ex use to work for JC Penny jewelry department, the same ring is ordered in lots, just because Jane Doe lost a 1/2 carrot diamond ring at South Beach doesn't mean the one you found is the one she lost.

You want to be able to recover your jewelry, if lost, engrave it.

As much as I despise police...and 99.9 % are NOT honest (lol)..I will say here that without them..the monkeys on the 'locked up' TV series would be running the country. So..I defer to our need to have them.

Regardless, 'finders keepers' is the law I abide by. And I also believe that 75% of all police would agree...just keep it and keep your mouth shut... you didn't steal it. So go quietly and enjoy ...

 

[RGINN]

Well Big61al, you made a blanket statement. You did not know every cop in America, only a few, so you can only say some cops are notorious for keeping property. However, I have that inside experience and all y'all are right. There are, or were at least, some folks who should never have been given a badge. Like I said, that's the ones you remember, and that's the ones who get the press. I find it interesting you witnessed all these alleged felonies yet never did one single thing about them. Why is that?

 

[Goodyguy]

If it's been lost for so long that it's buried in the ground and there are no identifying marks to facilitate a return to the probable owner, then finders keepers.

However if it is out in the open on public property and appears to be lost or abandoned and has any value at all, then I would turn it in.
Same thing I would want anyone else to do if I accidentally lost or forgot an item of value at the park or a public place. It's just the right thing to do even if there is no name on it.

What if it was your watch or your ring or camera or whatever, you get home realize you left it at the park go back and it's not there, next thing you do is see if anyone turned in your lost item, and hopefully a noble person did turn it in.

GG~

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Wallets, cameras, watches left laying on benches or dropped, ect I always return, they are identifiable. Wallets have Ids in them, cameras have picture in them, watches usually have scratches ect most people can identify. If it can be identifed in some way, I have problems returning.

 

[gallileo60]

The police are honest hard working people, they take an oath to serve and protect. The very idea that you would think otherwise is very un-settling.



Not all of them............

 

[RGINN]

Yeah, you're right, they're honest, etc., etc., took an oath, etc., etc. Folks, I was a cop and have no idea what you people are talking about with this oath thing. I never took any sort of oath. I never raised my right hand and swore to serve and protect a damn thing. I like that 'police took an oath' thing. Where y'all comin up with that? Is this something y'all saw on TV from one of the big PD's, and assume if you violate this 'oath', lightning will strike you? Sorry I skewed the thread. The computer notification about lost items is a PR service sort of thing. It's assigned to your public service or community relations or code officers, not the beat cops. If the PD throws it out there and recovers some lost something or other, well, there might be good press. Maybe.