Any vehicle which has been stolen or abandoned and taken up by the Police Department shall immediately be taken to police headquarters. A proper record shall be made of the same, and the vehicle shall be placed in some place for storage for safekeeping, from which the owner thereof may reclaim it upon proper proof of ownership and upon payment of a reasonable fee for storage of such vehicle as shall be fixed by Council. The owner shall also pay any other necessary expense incident to the taking and custody of the vehicle, which amounts when so paid shall be immediately accounted for to the Director of Finance. Any such vehicle so stored by the Municipality for a period of one month, which has not been reclaimed and against which there are storage or other charges, shall be advertised by the Chief of Police for sale at public auction in two newspapers of general circulation in the Municipality for a period of two weeks before the time set for such sale. If the vehicle is sold at the sale, after payment of the costs thereof, and the expense of storage and other expenses incident thereto, the balance of the sum shall be deposited with the Director of Finance in a special fund to be held for a period of one year for the claimant thereof. If such balance is not claimed within that time by the proper claimant thereto, the sum then shall go into the General Fund of the Municipality.
The Municipality for itself, may bid for the purchase of any such car, but no police officer, fireman, Municipal official or Municipal employee shall be allowed to purchase any such car at any such sale.
(1974 Code Sec. 3-31)