I had to laugh when the officer started talking.

[SeaninNH]

It as about 11:30 pm and I was at a tot lot the other night when a cop came by and called me over.

He said the the park had a 9pm curfew and I couldn't stay.

He then asked me what I did with the stuff I found. My reply.. "I put it in my pocket".

He then said "That is theft of property". You are supposed to turn any valuables you find into the police department.

I laughed at him and he got beat red. I said.. It's not theft it's called FOUND.

He said "If you find someones property and don't turn it in that is theft. It's not finders keepers like when you were young".

I said... "Actually it is. If I find something, it's found, not stolen so I'm keeping it".

He says "If you find a ring and pawn it and they find it in the pawn store they can press charges and you will get in trouble for theft of property".

I laughed again and said" That's not a problem. Everything that I find goes to get melted down not pawned".

He didn't have a reply to that and let me leave.

I don't care who says what... If I find it I keep it. PERIOD!

If It's possible to return something I'm sure that I would return it, but for the most part, we all know that our finds are not identifyable.

 

[bigscoop]

Make yourself aware of the local laws and never do anything to further taint the perception of this hobby. Get a few guys in a park over a period time who show no respect for the law or authority and you will no longer be detecting in that park. That's how the system works and that's how the system has been working. It's much easier for them to write new laws and regulations to make these continued problems and issues go away for good. This is nothing new and by now I would hope every MDer is aware of this.

 

[Underground Economy]

You encountered a badge heavy rookie officer. You were lucky he didn't cite you for a park curfew violation. In regards to finds, my advice is to never put yourself in that position by giving any person ammunition he/she could use against you. I always say (when asked) "I found the usual bottle caps and pull tabs which I will dispose of." I hunt the beaches almost exclusively at night and say the above quote in the interest of self preservation. Saying no more than that probably saved me from getting in an argument or two...or worse.
BTW, I'm a retired big city policeman. You're lucky it was a cop. The absolute worst encounter would be with an officious security guard.

 

[Monty]

The PD I worked for and retired from was a fairly large city. We had a lost and found department in our property room. You could call in and ask if an expensive item you found was reported lost or stolen. If it was reported you could turn it in or hold on to it yourself and the PD would try to notify the owner. If the owner didn't claim it in 90 days it was yours to keep. We had several instances of folks calling in trying to claim something such as a ring or expensive watch, but couldn't describe it, obvious frauds. If you do decide to try to find an owner yourself don't ever describe it fully to them. If a ring for instance has a red set, ask them if it had a blue set. The crooks will jump right on it and say yes, obviously not knowing. Whether you keep everything you find boils down to your choice, probably depending on how you were taught such things in your upbringing. Or if you find something very valuable that has a name or method to ID the owner and don't turn it in, you could be in trouble, especially if it was an item taken where someone was killed or serioiusly injured. Each state and even individual municipal jurisdictions may have differing laws on how to dispose of found property. I've tried to return a few things but didn't have much luck finding the owner. Monty

 

[Parisdakarbmw]

It as about 11:30 pm and I was at a tot lot the other night when a cop came by and called me over.

He said the the park had a 9pm curfew and I couldn't stay.

He then asked me what I did with the stuff I found. My reply.. "I put it in my pocket".

He then said "That is theft of property". You are supposed to turn any valuables you find into the police department.

I laughed at him and he got beat red. I said.. It's not theft it's called FOUND.

He said "If you find someones property and don't turn it in that is theft. It's not finders keepers like when you were young".

I said... "Actually it is. If I find something, it's found, not stolen so I'm keeping it".

He says "If you find a ring and pawn it and they find it in the pawn store they can press charges and you will get in trouble for theft of property".

I laughed again and said" That's not a problem. Everything that I find goes to get melted down not pawned".

He didn't have a reply to that and let me leave.

I don't care who says what... If I find it I keep it. PERIOD!

If It's possible to return something I'm sure that I would return it, but for the most part, we all know that our finds are not identifyable.

I wonder what that officer does when he finds a 5 dollar bill in the parking lot going to the grocery store? You think he is going to turn it in? I do not think so. And what do the police department do when people turn in valuable items that go unclaimed? I bet they cash them into the funds for the city or department. That is what they want you to do but get the finders or detectorist to do all of the leg work.

I found $8 in the middle of the highway, and turned it into evidence. I was on duty, and it wasn't worth explaining to a supervisor why people reported a police officer picking up all that money blowing around, and it was never turned in.

In Georgia the law is "theft of lost or misplaced property"

You have to attempt to find the owner for 30 days via computer, and newspaper ads, or by turning it in. All of the "found ring" ads are to comply with the local law for the process to claim property.

Uhhhhh Melting it down is "theft by conversion" if you don't try to find the owner, and satisfy the laws to legally claim it.

If it is something really valuable, just get a lawyer to hold it until he can guide you through the best process. If you turn it over to the police I'd make sure you stay on top of that case number, and assigned officer. Your big catch will end up at the county auction next to the found bicycles, and junked police cars.............

 

[Tom_in_CA]

parisdakarbmw, you say:

"You have to attempt to find the owner for 30 days via computer, and newspaper ads, or by turning it in ....."

I don't know what state you worked as a police in, but in CA, there is no allowance for a person to go out on their own, via "found" ads (like on Craigslist, or putting up a flyer on a lamp-post, etc...) thinking that satisfies the attempt to re-unite with owner.

In CA, you must turn it (any item $100 or more value) in to the police, and let their channels process it! I learned this through a ... uh.... rude awakening:

I found a pair of prescription glasses on the beach one time while detecting. As I got ready to pitch them in the garbage can on my way off the beach, with my other trash, I got to thinking: they looked recently lost, so I would do the 'noble' thing and put a found ad on CL (was thinking there might be a tip too afterall ). Imagine my surprise, when .... the next morning in my email box, was an email from the local police dept. of that city. The lost & found clerk had seen my ad, because they had been scanning it for any reports of found glasses, on that particular beach. Apparently someone had *just* come in to report lost glasses there, so they could see if anyone had turned them in to the police dept. The police in turn, make a scan of CL L&F, and presto, there was my ad!

The email asked if mine fit a certain description. Turns out, my pair were NOT the pair they were looking for. I thought that was the end of the matter, until the police gave me a warning that .... in the future .... I was to turn in anything found on the beach, to them, if it exceeded $100 value (and of course, prescription glasses can run much more than that, to the person buying them inititally, right?). They cited the code to me, which I have since looked up. They were right: the law doesn't allow persons to run their own ads, once an item exceeds a value threshold.

If, after 30 days, no one claims the item, the finder is welcome to go retrieve it. And if the police run a "found ad" in the local paper (so that persons can come in to try to describe the item), guess who pays the cost of the ad? You do! (if you want to retrieve it at the end of the 30 days that is). And the law makes no exception for when YOU think the item was lost (ie.: freshly lost, or deep enough that you discern it had been there for years). It also makes no distinction of how things are valued. Ie.: a small gold ring might have only $50 melt value of gold in it, right? But wait! the poor sap who bought that in a jewelry store probably paid $150, right? So the lawyers answer to this is to go by the "when-new" value (otherwise people can claim a brand new I-phone has only $2 of intrinsic copper, plastic, silicon, etc... )

And you tell us, as a past cop: Do you think there are some city's police lost & found dept's that might have less than honest people in them? For example: What's to stop Joe Blow who works the front counter there, from calling his cousin Bob, and saying "hey Bob, you want a Rolex watch? Come down here and describe such & such, and presto, you'll be the proud owner of a rolex". Now I know that sounds dastardly, but think of it: In the eyes of the police, it was never yours to begin with!! You only found it! You turned it in knowing full well it might be claimed. It was never yours to begin with, so how have you been harmed? What have you missed?

I have been tempted to turn in my own wedding band, as a test, to see if someone "claims it", just to test this theory.

 

[Parisdakarbmw]

And you tell us, as a past cop: Do you think there are some city's police lost & found dept's that might have less than honest people in them? For example: What's to stop Joe Blow who works the front counter there, from calling his cousin Bob, and saying "hey Bob, you want a Rolex watch? Come down here and describe such & such, and presto, you'll be the proud owner of a rolex". Now I know that sounds dastardly, but think of it: In the eyes of the police, it was never yours to begin with!! You only found it! You turned it in knowing full well it might be claimed. It was never yours to begin with, so how have you been harmed? What have you missed?

I have been tempted to turn in my own wedding band, as a test, to see if someone "claims it", just to test this theory.
[/quote]

I'm still a police officer, and have been for 11 years. Not that I'm a person who knows all of the laws, but I've had to deal with these things over the past decade. Each county, and state have their own rules. I would hate to turn in something of extreme value too. The good thing is that you get it back if it's unclaimed. Here it goes to the county auction and the funds are used for the reimbursement of victims. I like the idea of people attempting to find the owner, but the problem is when an item has been reported lost or stolen, and one of us MD guys finds it. I guess I feel at ease locating something that is older than 75 years. I feel as if the person most likely has passed away, and the owner will never be found. My moral delima would be after 30 days in the local news paper.

Different rules for different places

 

[doglover]

Theres no way you could return most of the coins or jewelry you found unless it had a name on it. I recently found a class ring and plan on returning it to its rightful owner because the highschool and year he graduated is on there as well as his first name and last initial.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

"Theres no way you could return most of the ..... jewelry you found unless it had a name on it "

Sure there's a "way". You merely turn in those plain bands, with no inscriptions, to the police dept. If they have a citizen come in, and describe that band and location where found, then "presto! returned to the rightful owner". Then you, as the law-abiding citizen, go on about your way with a warm -fuzzy feeling that you've abided by the law. So what do you mean there's "no way"?

 

[missmetaldetectingdiva]

Wow... I must be the odd ball out on this one. Am I the only one who finds things of value and keeps them on this board w/out turning them into the police? You mean to tell me gents that when you find gold rings you take them to the police dept. wow..

I guess we are all different but for now all my stuff goes to ARA not the local police station.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Yes miss-md'ing. You're the only one here who keeps or sells their stuff. However, if you send all your ill-gotten gains to me (I accept paypal), I will absolve your conscience of all guilt. Think of it as an act of contrition & penance.

 

[SeaninNH]

Wow... I must be the odd ball out on this one. Am I the only one who finds things of value and keeps them on this board w/out turning them into the police?

Everything I find gets turned in.......to cash.

 

[dogpound]

i also turn in all jewelry finds..........to ARA

 

[HuntNdig]

so i just read through all this and we apparently have it all wrong....basically to find gold, we need to take a trip to Toms local police dept. and ask them if anyone turned in any gold rings lately! When they ask for a description, im going with gold.