A. All property reasonably believed to be lost, abandoned, stolen or illegally possessed or which has been seized by the police or is deemed to be contraband shall be retained in the custody of the chief of police or his designee for a minimum period of six (6) months next commencing from the date of possession.
B. The chief of police or his designee shall be the custodian of all such property and shall make reasonable inquiry and efforts to identify and notify the owner, owners, or persons lawfully entitled to possession of said property. Upon satisfactory proof of ownership or lawful possession, said property shall be returned to the rightful owner or owners or person entitled to possession so long as possession of said property is lawful and upon payment by that person to the general corporate fund of the village of an amount equal to the reasonable cost incurred in retaining and storing said property.
C. In the event that said property has been retained as evidence in any criminal prosecution or ordinance violation prosecution, said property shall be held and retained pending final court disposition. (Ord. 96-57, 6-6-1996)