Do the police return found items to you that youve turned into them after 90 days?

[Swaveab]

That's exactly what they would return to you in 90 days along with a bill for storage fees and locating fees. You can't out thief legal thieves.

As far as the argument that I shouldn't complain because it wasn't mine to keep, well it isn't the property of the cops to keep either and the individual making a real honest effort to locate the true owner should be praised for his efforts rather than criticized as a law breaker under threat of being charged because it bypasses the cops' pockets. The burden of proof of any wrong doing on your own part is for the cops to prove. Of course in this day and age if you have too much cash or valuables on you they seize it free and clear claiming it must've been for drugs or other high crimes and they get away with not having to prove that. Too little money on you and they fine you and arrest you as a vagrant. Nice catch 22 and they define what is too much or too little. I don't think it is us that need to re-evaluate their morals.

 

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[Rustynailsandscrews]

Mega AMEN, most honorable Brother Rust

Never!

That's how I roll !!! Finders are Keepers !

 

[Rustynailsandscrews]

Mega AMEN, most honorable Brother Rustynailsandscrews!



Never!

Why would I even waste my time hunting if I had to turn it in ?
So I'm taking my time and spending money on detectors to find other peoples s*** and give it back.
Don't think so and know not. They can buy their own detector to find the s*** they lost.
If you lose it, don't expect your ever getting it back and that if I find it I'm just going to hand it over without a reward.
That's how I roll !!!
I don't spend time and money on metal detecting just to give things back to losers who should have not lost it in the first place and in no way just because I metal detect, does it make me a public servant for irresponsible people who lose stuff.
Finders/Keepers.

 

[jeff of pa]

only way they will bother returning it to you is if when you turn it in,
you ask if they will, and if they don't want it.

best odds of getting it returned, is if it's a large amount of money.
and the news is alerted you found it.

those odds the News will get involved increase if your a 12 year old or younger , a scout, homeless, or minority.
and a news reporter asks to be notified for a fluff article.

 

[cudamark]

Why would I even waste my time hunting if I had to turn it in ?
So I'm taking my time and spending money on detectors to find other peoples s*** and give it back.
Don't think so and know not. They can buy their own detector to find the s*** they lost.
If you lose it, don't expect your ever getting it back and that if I find it I'm just going to hand it over without a reward.
That's how I roll !!!
I don't spend time and money on metal detecting just to give things back to losers who should have not lost it in the first place and in no way just because I metal detect, does it make me a public servant for irresponsible people who lose stuff.
Finders/Keepers.

Not everybody who losses something, did so by being careless. Sometimes items are lost through no fault of their own. I think you're really missing out on one of the best aspects of our hobby. Seeing the joy of a returned item is worth more than money, but, if money is your bottom line.....on average, I've received more in reward money (that they have insisted I take) than I ever would have gotten by hocking the pieces.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Not everybody who losses something, did so by being careless. Sometimes items are lost through no fault of their own. I think you're really missing out on one of the best aspects of our hobby......

Well, yes and no. Yes if it's something that's returnable (ie.: identifying marks, or things people commission you to find, etc...). But no if it's just random fumble fingers stuff we find, that could have been there for years. Technically, aspects like a) "been there for years" (as if you can really know for certain anyhow), and b) identifiable, are not factors in the requirement that you turn in all items to the police over a given value.

So in the latter "fumble fingers" and "obey the law technically", THAT'S what I think that rusty-nails was alluding to. I'm sure he'd enjoy re-uniting things when commissioned, or when identifiable (class rings, etc...).

 

[cudamark]

That's not the impression I got. I'm not suggesting that coins be returned or junk jewelry be researched to find out who lost them, but, jewelry with obvious value should be given a bit of effort. It doesn't cost anything to put an ad on Craigslist. Even a simple band can be identified by size, type, karat, and location lost. My experience tells me to keep the police out of the equation. They have better things to do with their time.

 

[against the wind]

Unless it is of really tremendous value,, most cops in a NYC precinct don't want to know about it.
The Freedom of Information Act can be used to get information about who claimed the item and who released it to them. If you want to go that route, then you are going down a path that could end up costing someone their job or at the very least a disciplinary action.
Lets face it guys,, the only time you need to return something you have found is when your are actually trying to find an item that is reported lost. Even then, I would only return it to the person who reported it lost and only after they gave me a COMPLETE description of the item BEFORE I searched for it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... most cops in a NYC precinct don't want to know about it.
....

Perhaps. But what if the question were not: "What does the average NYC cop want to know about ?" What if the question was: "What is the actual law?"

 

[Honest Samuel]

I remember about 30 years, while living in Milford, Ct. I had found a ring on a beach, and I notice a lost ad for a ring. I contact the woman who show up with a fat cop who scare the Hell out of me. It was not her ring. No more. People can show up and claim rings that are not their. If people are stupid to wear and lose jewel, on beaches, too bad, it belongs to the founder.

 

[Honest Samuel]

If your going to turn in something, turn in everything. Pull tabs are lost and belong to someone, turn in all your trash too!!

I would like to be there when you do, off to jail you will go. Then, I will take over here for you until you get out of jail.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I would like to be there when you do, off to jail you will go. Then, I will take over here for you until you get out of jail.

Don't push your luck CS/CD since you just returned from ban...

Turning in trash violates no laws....

 

[Honest Samuel]

Some members do not have a sense of humor.

 

[supertraq]

Depends on where you live,here we look at our deputies as tax payer paid mofia so no you won't and if someone come in and inquired about an item you turned in?

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Two words...common sense.

 

[cruiserkev]

Two words...common sense.

Exactly. Found a gun once and turned it into the police as I did not want a potential murder weapon in my collection. None of the rings and jewelry I have found were engraved or had any identifying marks, so I kept them. Finder's keepers! ☺

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Exactly. Found a gun once and turned it into the police as I did not want a potential murder weapon in my collection. ...

Cruiserkey, interesting logic! I had never thought about that before. I know one particular southern CA hunter, who .... over the past 35+ yrs, has actually found several guns on beaches down there. 2 of which he was able to oil up and get operational. Took them to the shooting range to try them out, added them to his collection (since he's a gun buff as another hobby). He had no intention of turning them into the police, and a part of me didn't blame him.

But I never thought about the ballistics angle you speak of, that what if it were ever determined to have been used in a crime ? They can match ballistics with same slugs, and so forth. Interesting legal angle ! Naturally mind friend would just say "I only found it". But isn't that what EVERY criminal says when caught with a stolen TV, murder weapon, etc... ? They all say "I found it, not stole" or " I never used" it.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Where I live, if I find a hand gun laying in some bushes, there is an extremely good chance that it was or is going to be used for something illegal, and with my luck I need no help getting into trouble!

 

[Oddjob]

I my self used to turn stuff in; I hunt all over Europe and each country has their own set of laws on this stuff. In Italy I still turn stuff in because they are the most honest I have found. In Germany I stopped after two years because I would turn it in, file the paperwork and have record set in place. When I would go back, they would say that the owner picked it up.

Then I found out the finders law in Germany about 2 years later and I returned and asked for public records to file my claim to each find. At first they attempted to treat me like crap for being an American (typical) and asking for such, then I showed them the law and they attempted to tell me it did not apply, then I showed them my Interpol Credentials and called in the Federal Police and Assistant State Attorney whom I set up all this with prior to that visit.

They really tried their best then to back up and speak to me differently; all it got that entire office was search warrants for all their homes, vehicles and office; they where charged with government fraud and a few others; really just a big show and arm flex to oust the tard(s) who where taking the stuff.

In the end the truth came out; I never once figured I would see anything from it, I just wanted to ensure that whom ever was taking the stuff had a good time in their new cell.

In Spain there is no point in taking it in; they will tell you right to your face it does no good and they are not doing the paperwork and to just take it out of there.

Italy is good though, you get it back plus paperwork for the tax man when you sell.

The only reason I ever started turning it in here in Europe is because I only hunt for profit but do not wish to register a business as those taxes are much higher. I sell directly to federal or state refinery's valuable metals and clear on average about 200K a year. The thing is if I did not have all the paperwork that comes with the process then local Tax agency's and the US would really question as to where that extra income is coming from with a man who is retired US Army and currently working for Interpol; the numbers would not add up for the tax folks, then they want explanation which cost more money and can lead to a very long year.

This way I flood the 4 countries I pay taxes in with paperwork through my tax attorney and I have never had any issue.

My son however has had issues in Germany; he holds both US and German citizenship. When he turn 12 about 11 months ago my wife and both felt he was now old enough to run his own hunts, document, catalog and sell his finds. He made his first sale in November of 2015 which came to a little more than 7000 grams of silver and 1000 grams of gold.

He sold directly to the federal refinery for 3% under spot. He kept his records in order and clean but when that transfer hit his account the tax man stepped in. First claiming that I was hiding money under his name, but he showed the paperwork from the refinery and that cleared that up, but then the tax man said that my son is Too Young To Pay Taxes in Germany. Yeah no sh*t; and then said if he is too young to pay taxes in Germany then he can not have more than 9,000 Euro in his name by the end of the year.

We just laughed at the tax man, even the 2 cops that showed up to our house as his escort where making faces like that is some dumb sh*t to say.

In February my agency had already gone through the proper channels in securing statements from the 2 Officers who where here and we reached out to the State Attorneys office and had a sit down with the tax mans boss from that local office. It was basically explained to him that yes my son is too young to pay taxes but that Germany does not have any laws at all as to how much money someone under age can have. My agency then explained that if any further undue investigation was to proceed that my Agency and the US would take this very serious and move forward with it.

That poor tax mans boos sat in that 1 hour meeting just listening and not saying word, when it was over he told us that he had no idea that someone from his office would try to imply such things after the legalities where settled. I felt sorry for the guy because his worker let him walk into that meeting blind, no idea what happened to the worker after that but my son sure thought he was walking on water with his money until we explained to him that when he does become of age to pay taxes that his first year will be paperwork hell and he can sure bet that he will pay taxes on his interest and whatever he has sold that year in both countries.

So if your hunting for profit, then turning it in is a good thing if you selling a large enough amount to pay taxes on, just have to make sure you get that paperwork.

It is always better to provide the tax agencies with more information than less or it will cost you more in the end when it catches up to you.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

odd job: Great post ! Enjoyed reading.

If someone's got issues with "taxes" and "paperwork", and is in Europe, then all that you say is great information.

But for someone in it for history sakes, or personal collection sakes, then the "turning it in to the police" discussion would have less relevance. Like if I were going to Europe, and .... upon conclusion, had scrap gold and silver that I needed to liquidate, it would be less of a problem. As such trivial amounts (any USA hunter will tell you), are obviously below the radar of the type things that someone making a career (ie.: a full time income) will face.