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| 3 | 3 | | Req. No. 6640 Page 1 1 |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
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| 29 | 29 | | |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | HOUSE BILL 2235 By: Ford |
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| 33 | 33 | | |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | |
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| 36 | 36 | | |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | AS INTRODUCED |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | An Act relating to cities and towns; amending 11 O.S. |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2021, Section 34-104, which relates to dispo sition of |
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| 42 | 42 | | personal property, money, or legal tender; modifying |
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| 43 | 43 | | where proceeds from forfeit ed property may be |
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| 44 | 44 | | deposited; modifying where monies forfeited may be |
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| 45 | 45 | | deposited; and providing an effective date . |
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| 46 | 46 | | |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 11 O.S. 2021, Section 34 -104, is |
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| 52 | 52 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 53 | 53 | | Section 34-104. A. Any chief of police or designee is |
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| 54 | 54 | | authorized to dispose of personal property or money or legal tender |
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| 55 | 55 | | as provided in this section or th e ordinances of the municipality, |
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| 56 | 56 | | which has come into the possession of th e police department of the |
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| 57 | 57 | | municipality if: |
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| 58 | 58 | | 1. The owner of the personal property or money or legal tender |
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| 59 | 59 | | is unknown or has not claimed the property after any required |
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| 60 | 60 | | notice; |
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| 61 | 61 | | 2. The property or money or legal tender has b een in the |
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| 62 | 62 | | custody of the chief of police for at least ninety (90) days; and |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 88 | 88 | | |
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| 89 | 89 | | 3. The property or money or legal tender or any part thereof is |
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| 90 | 90 | | no longer needed to be held as evidence or for any other purpose in |
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| 91 | 91 | | connection with any l itigation. In the event the property, money or |
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| 92 | 92 | | legal tender was seized by the police department in connection with |
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| 93 | 93 | | a criminal investigation or arrest, this determination shall be made |
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| 94 | 94 | | by the court which has jurisdiction over the criminal offense, if an |
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| 95 | 95 | | information or indictment i s pending, pursuant to Section 1321 of |
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| 96 | 96 | | Title 22 of the Oklaho ma Statutes, or by a prosecuting authority if |
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| 97 | 97 | | charges have been disposed of or have been declined. |
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| 98 | 98 | | B. The municipality may file an application in the district |
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| 99 | 99 | | court in which the situs of governm ent of the municipality is |
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| 100 | 100 | | located requesting the authority o f the court to conduct a sale of |
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| 101 | 101 | | the personal property which has a market value. The application |
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| 102 | 102 | | shall contain a list describing the property , the date the property |
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| 103 | 103 | | came into the possession of the municipality, and the name of the |
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| 104 | 104 | | owner and the person in last possession, if different, and the |
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| 105 | 105 | | address of the person, if known . The court shall set the |
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| 106 | 106 | | application for hearing not less tha n fifteen (15) days after filing |
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| 107 | 107 | | of the application. |
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| 108 | 108 | | C. In any instance where the property has an actual or apparent |
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| 109 | 109 | | value of more than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00), at leas t |
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| 110 | 110 | | eleven (11) days prior to the date of the hearing, written notice of |
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| 111 | 111 | | the hearing shall be sent by first -class mail, postage prepaid, to |
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| 112 | 112 | | each owner and person last in possession of the property at the |
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| 138 | 138 | | |
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| 139 | 139 | | address as listed in the application . If the owner of any property |
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| 140 | 140 | | with an actual or apparent value exceeding Five Hundred Dollars |
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| 141 | 141 | | ($500.00) is unable to be served w ritten notice by first -class mail, |
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| 142 | 142 | | notice shall be provided by one publication at least three (3) days |
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| 143 | 143 | | prior to the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the |
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| 144 | 144 | | county where the property is in custody . The notice shall contai n |
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| 145 | 145 | | the place and date o f the hearing and a description of the property, |
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| 146 | 146 | | or the location of a list available f or review during business hours |
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| 147 | 147 | | in which the property is described and any known owner identified . |
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| 148 | 148 | | The notice shall be posted at the assigned place for the posting of |
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| 149 | 149 | | municipal notices, and at two other public places in the |
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| 150 | 150 | | municipality. |
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| 151 | 151 | | D. If no owner appears and establishes ownership to the |
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| 152 | 152 | | property at the hearing, the court shall enter an order authorizing |
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| 153 | 153 | | the municipality to dispose of the property as follows: |
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| 154 | 154 | | 1. Donate the property havin g value of less than Five Hundred |
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| 155 | 155 | | Dollars ($500.00) to a not -for-profit corporation as defined in |
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| 156 | 156 | | Title 18 of the Oklahoma Statutes for use by needy families; |
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| 157 | 157 | | 2. Sell the personal property for cash to the highest bidder, |
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| 158 | 158 | | after at least five (5) days' notice of the sale has been published; |
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| 159 | 159 | | 3. Transfer the property to a third-party agent under contract |
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| 160 | 160 | | with the municipality for sale by Internet or other electronic |
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| 161 | 161 | | means, regardless of whether the sale structure or distribution site |
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| 162 | 162 | | is within the State of Ok lahoma; or |
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| 163 | 163 | | |
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| 189 | 189 | | 4. By any other means as determined appropriate by the court |
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| 190 | 190 | | including but not limited to, destruction. |
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| 191 | 191 | | If the means of disposition involve a sale or donation to the |
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| 192 | 192 | | third party, the chief of police or designee shall make a return of |
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| 193 | 193 | | the donation or sale and the order of the court confirming the |
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| 194 | 194 | | donation or sale shall vest title to the property in the recipient |
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| 195 | 195 | | or purchaser. After payment of court costs and other expenses, the |
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| 196 | 196 | | remainder of money received from the sale of the personal property |
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| 197 | 197 | | shall be deposited in any special project fund, designated and |
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| 198 | 198 | | established by the municipality, and not to the municipal general |
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| 199 | 199 | | fund. |
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| 200 | 200 | | E. All money or legal tender which has come into the possession |
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| 201 | 201 | | of the municipality pursuant to the circumstances provided for in |
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| 202 | 202 | | subsection A of this section shall be transferred by t he chief of |
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| 203 | 203 | | police or designee to the municipal clerk or municipal treasurer for |
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| 204 | 204 | | deposit in any special project fund, designated and established by |
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| 205 | 205 | | the municipality, and not to the municipal general fund . Prior to |
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| 206 | 206 | | any transfer, the municipality shall file an application in the |
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| 207 | 207 | | district court requesting the court to enter an order authorizing |
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| 208 | 208 | | the chief of police or designee to transfer the money for deposit in |
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| 209 | 209 | | any special project fund, designated and established by the |
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| 210 | 210 | | municipality, and not to the municipal general fund. The |
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| 211 | 211 | | application shall describe the money or legal tender, the date the |
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| 212 | 212 | | same came into the possession of th e police department, and the name |
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| 239 | 239 | | of the owner and the address of the owner, if known. Upon filing |
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| 240 | 240 | | the application which may be joine d with an application as described |
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| 241 | 241 | | in subsection B of this section, a hearing shall be set not less |
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| 242 | 242 | | than fifteen (15) days from the filing of the application . Notice |
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| 243 | 243 | | of the hearing shall be g iven as provided for in subsection C of |
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| 244 | 244 | | this section. The notice shall state that upon failure of anyone to |
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| 245 | 245 | | appear to prove ownership to the money or legal tender, the court |
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| 246 | 246 | | shall order the same to be deposited in any special project fund, |
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| 247 | 247 | | designated and established by the municipality, and not to the |
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| 248 | 248 | | municipal general fund. The notice may be combined with a notice to |
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| 249 | 249 | | sell personal property as provided for i n subsection B of this |
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| 250 | 250 | | section. If no one appears to claim and prove ownersh ip to the |
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| 251 | 251 | | money or legal tender at the hearing, the court shall order the same |
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| 252 | 252 | | to be transferred to any special project fund, designated and |
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| 253 | 253 | | established by the municipality, and not to the municipal general |
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| 254 | 254 | | fund as provided in this subsection. |
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| 255 | 255 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if |
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| 256 | 256 | | authorized by ordinance, the municipality may transfer any currency |
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| 257 | 257 | | received into a depository account for the benefit of its known or |
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| 258 | 258 | | unknown owners prior to any court order for disposition of the money |
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| 259 | 259 | | or legal tender. |
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| 260 | 260 | | F. Except as provided in this subsection, the provisions of |
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| 261 | 261 | | this section shall not apply to any dangerous or deadly weapons, |
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| 262 | 262 | | narcotic or poisonous drugs, explosives, or any property of any kind |
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| 263 | 263 | | |
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| 288 | 288 | | |
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| 289 | 289 | | or character, the possession of which is prohibited by law. By |
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| 290 | 290 | | order of the trial court, any property filed as an exhibit or held |
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| 291 | 291 | | by the municipality as evidence or as contraband shall be destroyed |
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| 292 | 292 | | or sold or disposed of, pursuant to the condi tions prescribed in the |
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| 293 | 293 | | order. To the extent the provisions of this section do not apply, |
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| 294 | 294 | | the court shall follow the procedures in Section 1321 of Ti tle 22 of |
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| 295 | 295 | | the Oklahoma Statutes . No forfeiture proceeding shall be necessary |
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| 296 | 296 | | to authorize the destruction of property that cannot be returned |
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| 297 | 297 | | lawfully to its owner. |
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| 298 | 298 | | G. The municipality is hereby authorized to establish a |
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| 299 | 299 | | procedure for the registration of "lost and found" property. The |
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| 300 | 300 | | procedure shall give the finder of any property the option of |
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| 301 | 301 | | relinquishing any future claim to found property at the time its |
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| 302 | 302 | | possession is surrendered to the police or other agent of the |
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| 303 | 303 | | municipality, or of retaining poss ession of the property after |
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| 304 | 304 | | registering its description and th e finder's identity with the |
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| 305 | 305 | | police department or other agent of the municipality . The |
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| 306 | 306 | | municipality may require that only property in which the finder |
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| 307 | 307 | | relinquishes any future claim to its owne rship will be stored in |
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| 308 | 308 | | municipal police property rooms. |
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| 309 | 309 | | H. The municipality may provide by ordinance tha t a percentage |
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| 310 | 310 | | of the money or legal tender deposited in any special project fund, |
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| 311 | 311 | | designated and established by the municipality, and not to the |
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| 312 | 312 | | municipal general fund as provided in subsection D or E of this |
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| 338 | 338 | | |
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| 339 | 339 | | section may be paid as a finder's fee for services rendered to any |
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| 340 | 340 | | person who found the unclaimed personal pro perty or money or leg al |
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| 341 | 341 | | tender and delivered it to, or registered it with, the chief o f |
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| 342 | 342 | | police or other agent of the municipality. |
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| 343 | 343 | | I. The municipality may provide written notice at the time of |
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| 344 | 344 | | arrest or detention that certain property is available for ret urn |
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| 345 | 345 | | within ninety (90) days, if the property was not seized as evidence . |
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| 346 | 346 | | If the property is or appears to be worth less than Two Hundred |
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| 347 | 347 | | Fifty Dollars ($250.00), no further notice is required prior to |
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| 348 | 348 | | obtaining a court order for disposition of the propert y in |
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| 349 | 349 | | accordance with this section. A notice left with a detainee 's |
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| 350 | 350 | | personal property at the detention facility shall be presumed to |
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| 351 | 351 | | have been returned to the detainee at the time of his or her release |
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| 352 | 352 | | and shall satisfy the officer 's obligation to deliver a receipt to |
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| 353 | 353 | | the detainee in connection with an arrest for a public offense. |
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| 354 | 354 | | SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2023. |
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| 355 | 355 | | |
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| 356 | 356 | | 59-1-6640 MJ 01/13/23 |
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