Property | Marshfield Police Department

Marshfield Police Department

Personal Property

If you are arrested it is the policy of the Marshfield Police Department to safeguard any personal property left at the Station for maximum of 30 days from the date of arrest.

If you fail to retrieve your property within 30 days and that property is deemed to have no commerical value it will be destroyed without further notice to the owner.

If the property is deemed to have commerical value, notice will be sent to the last known address of the owner instructing them that they have 10 day to retrieve the property or it will be auctioned.

When can I get my personal property?

Personal property can be retrieved from the Marshfield Police Department Monday thru Friday between 8am and 4pm and on rotating evenings (including weekends) from 4pm to midnight.

Please email or call the following officers depending on when you will be able to pick up your property:

Officer Toomey (Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm)

Sgt. Tingley (4pm to midnight)

What if I can't come in person to pick up my property?

Personal property can only be collected by the owner of the property.

Exception:

If an arrestee is incapable of collecting his/her belongings in person then a third party may collect their belongings for them if such third party has a signed letter from the arrestee, authorizing the collection of the property. This letter must either be:

1) made on correctional/institutional facility letterhead or form which has either been notarized or co-signed by a facility employee;

2) from the arrestee's attorney or

3) notarized

Legal References

Department Policy 4.07: Unclaimed property left in the possession of the Marshfield Police Department by detainees, which has no commercial value, will be disposed of 30 days after receipt without auction or further notice.

Chapter 135: Section 7. Property taken by police officers from persons under arrest; disposition

If property which has been stolen, lost, abandoned or taken from a person under arrest comes into the possession of a member of the police department of a city by virtue of his office, he shall deliver the same to the officer or member of the department designated by the rules thereof, and shall thereupon be relieved from further responsibility therefor. The officer or member to whom such property is so delivered shall give notice as provided in section one of chapter one hundred and thirty-four. The word “city” as used in this and the four following sections shall include town.

Unclaimed and Abandoned Propert

Chapter 135: Section 8. If such property remains unclaimed in the possession of such police department or member thereof for one month and the owner thereof or his place of abode or business is unknown, or if the owner and his place of abode or business are known and the owner, after receipt by registered mail of a written notice from such department or member to take possession of said property, refuses or fails for a period of ten days following said receipt so to do, such department may sell the same, excepting money unclaimed, by public auction, notice of the time and place of sale, with a description of the property to be sold, first being given by publishing the same once in each of three successive weeks in a newspaper published in such city. Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars and by forfeiture of any such property obtained as a result of such violation.

In accordance with Massachusetts General Law, all other unclaimed and abandoned property will be sold by means of an online auction http://www.govdeals.com/

Lost and Found

Anyone who finds property must turn over that property to the Marshfield Police Department.

Found property will be held at the station for one (1) year. If after one (1) year the property remains unclaimed it will become the property of the finder

Exception: Per Department Policy, found property which contains the owner's personal and financial information, personal photos or other items of a private nature will not be returned to a finder. If such personal or financial information/items can be reasonably seperated from the found property, the property shall be returned to the finder without the owner's personal or financial items/information (ex. A wallet can be returned once the license, credit/debit cards/photos etc are removed) Personal or financial information/items which cannot be reasonably separated from the found property or found property which may contain personal and financial information/items but cannot be reasonably accessed will not be returned to the finder (ex. credit/debit cards, IPhone/IPad). All items retained by the Marshfield Police Department which contains/may contain personal or financial information/items shall be destroyed in a manner which safeguards the information/items.

Legal References

CHAPTER 134. Lost Goods

Any person who finds lost money or goods of the value of three dollars or more, the owner of which is unknown, shall within two days report the finding thereof to the officer in charge at a police station in the town where said property was found, or, if there is no police station, post notice thereof in two public places therein, or, instead of such report or posting, cause notice thereof to be advertised in a newspaper published therein.

If the owner of lost money or goods does not appear within one year after the finding thereof, they shall enure to the finder.

Firearms

Legal References

Department Policy 6.02

FIREARMS HELD FOR SAFE KEEPING

Firearms in possession of the police department for the purpose of safe keeping shall be held for a period of not less than thirty days (30) days.Firearms held in excess of thirty days may be transferred to a bonded warehouse for storage or sold at public auction.

LICENSE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION; TRANSFER OF FIREARMS BY OWNER:

Firearms surrendered Pursuant to Suspension or Revocation of License.

The owner or his or her legal representative may transfer firearms, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, and ammunition to anyone lawfully permitted to take possession.

The purchaser or transferee and the former owner shall notify the licensing authority in writing of the intended transfer.

Within ten days of the receipt of such notice, the firearms shall be transferred.

BONDED WAREHOUSE

Firearms held in police custody may be transferred to a bonded warehouse for storage.

This shall apply to all firearms with the exception of firearms being held as evidence in any pending case dealing with a firearms violation.

FIREARMS, VIOLATION OF M.G.L. 265, §10

A firearm shall be returned to the person from whom it was lost or stolen if that person was lawfully in possession of it. Otherwise, unless directed by the court, firearms shall be forwarded to the State Police for disposition.

FIREARMS, SERIAL NUMBER REMOVED OR MUTILATED:

Such firearms shall be delivered to the State Police for destruction.

Marshfield Police contracts with NEBalistic services for bonded warehouse storage www.neballistic.com