(A) Any article of personal property acquired by the Police Department in the course of its law enforcement activities shall be held by the Department for 30 days, unless claimed by the owner before then. If unclaimed after 30 days, the property may be sold by the Chief of Police at public auction for cash to the highest bidder, or may be disposed of as provided for in division (E) below.
(B) The Chief of Police shall give notice of the time and place of the sale of unclaimed personal property by publishing a notice thereof in a newspaper of general circulation published within the municipality or, if none exists, in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. If any property to be sold is of the value of $100 or more, the notice shall contain a general description of such property with the name of the owner thereof, if known.
(C) The Chief of Police shall make a list, in duplicate, of the property sold, giving as far as possible, a general description of each piece of property sold and the name of the owner, if known, and the amount of money derived from the sale of the property. One copy of the list shall be retained by the Chief of Police and the other delivered to the Municipal Clerk.
(D) All moneys derived from sales of unclaimed personal property shall be deposited in the General Fund of the municipality.
(E) When any unclaimed article of personal property is of a value less than fifty dollars, the Chief of Police may authorize it to be given to any organization which will use such property for public or charitable purposes. If an unclaimed article of personal property is clearly of no worth whatsoever, the Chief of Police may authorize it to be destroyed. For all such property given away, the Chief of Police shall obtain a receipt, and he or she shall file a list of all property given away or destroyed with the City Clerk, showing the estimated value of each article.
(1992 Code, § 5-1-113)