The City Council shall act upon the request of the Chief of Police to dispose of any lost, unclaimed, recovered or stolen property within 6 months after the receipt of the request. If the City Council approves the request, the Chief of Police shall publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the city at least 5 days before the sale. The notice shall describe the property, including money, and shall state the time and place of the public sale at which the property may be purchased by the highest bidder. Until the date of the sale, the property, including money, may be claimed at the office of the Chief of Police. If ownership is proved, the Chief of Police shall turn the property, including money, over to the owner and cancel the sale insofar as the claimed property is concerned.
(1993 Code, § 2-197)