Turlock Police Department

Special Operations

Property and Evidence

Property and Evidence Division
900 N Palm St
Turlock CA 95380

209-668-5550 ext 6655 (office)
209-668-5502 (fax)

Activities of the Property Evidence Specialist

The primary responsibility of a Property Evidence Specialist is to receive all incoming property, properly and securely store it so that it remains readily accessible, lawfully release or destroy it, and maintain documentation of the entire process. At the present time Turlock Police Department has only one full-time Property Evidence Specialist who is responsible for overseeing this process.

The following outline is a list of tasks and duties performed by our Property Evidence Specialist:

Preserve all incoming property from contamination, theft, or loss
Maintain and update property documentation with tracking information, commonly referred to as the “chain of custody”
Ensure that all releases and dispositions of property are legal and properly documented
Arrange and document interim releases and returns of property for court, crime lab analysis, or investigative use
Operate computer terminals as needed
Serve as liaison between the agency and other local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies
Maintain current knowledge of Federal, State, and local law related to property management
Inventory property based on the police demands of the agency
Ensure that all efforts are taken to make the property room as safe as possible for employees as well as property

Procedures for Claiming Your Property

All property is released by appointment only. Call the Property Evidence Unit at 209-668-5550 ext 6655 for release information and appointments.

Obtain the report number or file number
Call the Property and Evidence Division to schedule an appointment. Appointment hours are Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5pm.
Be prepared to present photo identification at your appointment
If you are unable to retrieve your property and need someone else to pick it up, please prepare a signed statement giving your approval for your representative to claim your items

If you are the finder of property and have turned it over to the Turlock Police Department, you may be eligible to file a finder’s claim. Contact the Property and Evidence Division for details.

What is the Role of the Police Department in Property Recovery?

The Turlock Police Department enters information about stolen property with serial numbers or engravings into a California State Law Enforcement Terminal System (CLETS) and a national computer database known as National Crime Information Center (NCIC). This information is available to federal, state and local police agencies 24 hour a day, 7 days a week. When an item is found, it can be “checked for stolen” through NCIC to determine if it matches any items listed in the database. If listed, contact with the rightful owner will be made.

Evidence

Felony Arrest Cases
Evidence items will be held for a minimum of 60 days from the date of final disposition. If the owner does not claim the items at that time, they may be disposed of or destroyed in the manner prescribed by law.

Misdemeanor Arrest Cases
Evidence will be held for 30 days from the date of sentencing and then items will be disposed of or destroyed in the manner prescribed by law.

No Arrest or Suspect
If no arrest has been made and/or no suspect identified, evidence items may be held up to one year or longer depending on the status of the case.

Frequently Asked Questions

	If I find a bicycle and turn it in, can I later claim it? Yes. Except for firearms and illegal items, any other property turned in as found property may be returned to the finder after 90 days. Call the Property and Evidence Division for more information.
	Why must I make an appointment to claim my property? Appointments are scheduled so that a property specialist can be made available to handle your case on a one on one basis without interruption. The property specialist may be in court, transporting evidence to the Department of Justice Forensics Laboratory or may be viewing evidence with an attorney.
	I have a court order that requires TPD to return my property. Why do I still need an appointment? By law, the Turlock Police Department is allowed 10 days to return property upon receipt of a court order. This allows the investigating officer to be notified of the order and to determine if the property is still needed for the investigation. If so, the investigator may contact the court and notify a judge why the property should remain in the custody of the Turlock Police Department. The judge then makes a determination whether the property should be returned or remain in police custody.
	Why does it take so long for me to get my property back? Property booked in as evidence of a crime is held until the case is adjudicated. If no charges are filed, property is held until the statute of limitations has expired (3 years for most felony cases, 1 year for misdemeanor cases) or the investigator of the case authorizes the release of the property, whichever is sooner. If a firearm is among the items requested, a background investigation must be conducted by the Department of Justice in order to verify that the legal owner is eligible to possess the weapon. When we contact the Department of Justice it will most likely take 2 months to obtain clearance. There will be a $75 charge per weapon per year for storage and maintenance of each weapon.
	What can I do to protect my property? Record descriptions of your property and serial numbers and keep it in a safe place. Document antiques, collectibles, jewelry and paintings with photographs.

Property and Evidence Specialist Trish Panos

Trish Panos was born and raised in the Bay Area city of San Leandro, where she began her law enforcement career as a Police Explorer with the San Leandro Police Department. She moved to Turlock in 1976 and has been with the Turlock Police Department since 1977.

Trish started in the Records Division in 1977 and then moved to the Communications Division in 1985. She transferred to CSUS Dispatch in 1999 but returned home to TPD in 2001. When she came back, Trish expressed an interest in the Property and Evidence Division. She was chosen to assist in that division, then was picked to be the new Property and Evidence Specialist in 2003.

Trish is currently the President of C.A.P.E. (California Association of Property and Evidence) and has served as the C.A.P.E. Central Valley Chapter Vice President. She received the CAPE Central Valley Property Officer Of The Year for 2007. Trish received her Property Specialist Certification from the International Association of Property and Evidence in 2004.

Trish was honored to receive the Turlock Police Department Employee Of The Year in 1991 and 2006, and also the Core Value Award For Teamwork in 2003.