Many people may not understand how and why an auction is conducted to sell police confiscated items. Some may be surprised to learn the large amount and variety of property confiscated during law enforcement raids. After seizing items, either a police department or a contracted auction service will sell the goods at auction.
Confiscated items end up in police possession in a number of ways. Stolen goods may be recovered and unclaimed. Local law will dictate how long a police department has to keep stolen goods they recovered while they wait for the rightful owner to claim them. Once that period has elapsed and the item remains unclaimed, police agencies are free to auction property to the highest bidder.
Another source of police confiscated items results when criminals are arrested or suspected of unlawful behavior. Because some acts come under the “civil asset forfeiture” provision, police departments can seize property associated with a number of offenses. When this happens, police departments can keep the confiscated items or sell them at auction. They often do the latter as a matter of course.
If a person commits a crime, the police department can confiscate any property used in conjunction with the crime. Police confiscated items are most typically associated with drug crimes, but they can come from any suspected illegal activity.
Further adding to the volume of items available for auction is the way civil asset forfeiture works. Police confiscated items can also result from the suspicion of illegal activity. A suspect doesn’t have to be found guilty in a court of law before property can be seized. Police officers typically have wide latitude to seize any property they suspect was used in connection with a crime.
As a result, many suspects, whether found guilty or not, don’t reclaim their police confiscated items. In this case, police departments are free to conduct an auction and sell items to the highest bidder.
In part two of this series, we will discuss the benefits of police departments and auction participants. For more information, please contact Auction Systems today.
