Inside CMPD

• Chief's Message

• Administration
  • Press Information Officer
  • Crime Prevention
  • Animal Control

• Field Operations
  • Area 1
  • Area 2

• Support Services
  • Traffic Safety Bureau
  • Detective Bureau
  • Helicopter Bureau

• Technical Services
  
  • Jail
  • Property & Evidence 
  • Records Bureau
  • Training & Recruitment

The Property & Evidence Bureau has the sole responsibility of receiving, storing, and maintaining found, "safekeeping," and evidence items which come into the care of CMPD.  The bureau is staffed entirely by civilian employees.


Property and evidence is released and returned to its rightful owners with valid photo identification.

Found and "safekeeping" property items are held for 90 days to allow the rightful owner to be notified and to have enough time to respond to pick it up.  If these items are not claimed within the 90 days, they are either physically destroyed or added to auction.  CMPD is currently using online auctioneer PropertyRoom.com.

Property classified as evidence can eventually be returned/released to its rightful owner after the case has been adjudicated and is no longer needed for evidentiary reasons.  Release of this category of property can only occur with the assigned detective's or officer's written authorization.  In some cases such as homicides, the evidence is held indefinitely.

Property and Evidence is responsible for but not limited to other such things as:

• Monthly release of items available to online auctioneer
• Quarterly narcotic destruction
• Bi-monthly weapon/firearm destruction
• Daily transport and pick-up of patrol vehicles for maintenance and service
• Daily receiving, processing, and storage of new evidence/property arrivals
• Releasing on a daily basis found and "safekeeping" property to the rightful owners
• Daily purging of property not being returned and no longer need in criminal cases
• Daily pulling of property requested for review by officers and detectives
  
• Daily maintaining the vehicle supply storage shed for essentials such as motor oil and spare tires
• Maintaining daily the evidence processing area for essential packaging supplies needed for the proper packing and storage of incoming property and evidence items
• Weekly delivery and pick-up to and from the Orange County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab of property and narcotics requiring analysis
• Annual speedometer calibration of patrol vehicles
• Issuance of all duty gear to newly hired field employees and reissuance of existing employee gear as replacement gear is needed
• Election night ballot collection

Integrity, honesty, forward-thinking and productivity are our goals!

Interesting Statistics

• On a monthly basis, the Property & Evidence Bureau receives and stores an average of 951 items.
• An average of 1032 items a month are purged, physically destroyed, and released back to their rightful owners.
• In 2006, CMPD returned a total of 851 pieces of property back to their rightful owners, and returned 1032 items in 2007.
• The oldest evidence currently being stored is from a 1970 homicide.