(A) All personal property coming into the possession of any police officer, which has been found, stolen or taken off the person, or out of the possession of, any prisoner or person suspected of, or charged with being a criminal, and which is not known to belong to some person laying claim thereto, shall be delivered into the charge of the Chief of Police, who shall make a permanent, written record of the property, including the date and circumstances of the receipt thereof, the name of the person from whom it was taken (or the place where it was found), the subsequent disposal thereof, the date of sale, name and address of the purchaser and the amount for which it was sold.
(B) Any personal property (other than animals) which remains unclaimed and in the possession of the Chief of Police, or the ownership of which is not satisfactorily established to him or her for a period of 30 days, shall be sold and the proceeds of the sale paid over to the Town Clerk, who shall issue his or her receipt therefor and deposit the same to the credit of the General Fund of the municipality, except for such personal property as in the opinion of the Mayor can be more advantageously used by some department or office of the municipal government. Ten days before a sale of such unclaimed property, the Chief of Police shall have posted in a conspicuous place in the Town Hall notice of the time, place and manner of such sale, including the general description of the property to be sold. If, in the opinion of the Mayor, all or any portion of the personal property may be more advantageously used in any municipal department or office, he or she shall so instruct the Chief of Police in writing and the Police Chief shall thereupon deliver the designated property to that department or office of municipal government and make a permanent record of its disposition.
(C) Any personal property found by a person other than a public official or employee, which is delivered to any police officer for identification, if not claimed or identified within 30 days shall, within ten additional days thereafter, if requested by the finder, be returned to him or her and a record of such disposal made thereof, if the finder does not request return of the property to him or her within such additional ten days, then the Chief of Police shall sell the property as if it had been found by a public official or employee or, on the instruction of the Mayor, deliver it to some department for its use.
(D) If any property is sold as herein provided, and the owner thereof takes and recovers possession of the same from the purchaser, the amount paid therefore shall be returned to the purchaser, upon verified claim being submitted and approved by the Town Board of Trustees.
(`87 Code, § 1-28(7)-(10))