Ask HPD: Does police take in found property?



Question: Does HPD still take in found property?

Answer: Yes. Any property turned in is inventoried in our evidence room. The Honolulu Police Department encourages everyone to report lost or stolen property.

If you lost something or it was stolen, make a police report that way we can contact you if your property is recovered. You can also contact our evidence room at (808) 529-3283 or 723-3270 and someone can help you.

If you are listed as the owner, you need to show your ID and/or case number from the police report before you can retrieve the property.

§708-830 Theft. A person commits theft if the person does any of the following…(3) A person obtains, or exerts control over, the property of another that the person knows to have been lost or mislaid or to have been delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property, the identity of the recipient, or other facts, and, with the intent to deprive the owner of the property, the person fails to take reasonable measures to discover and notify the owner.§52D-14 Duty and right of finders. (a) Except as provided in section 261-17.7, all money or property found shall be reported or delivered by the finder to the chief of police of the county. When so delivered, it shall be held by the chief of police for forty-five days or until claimed by some person who establishes title or right of custody thereto to the satisfaction of the chief of police. If title or right of custody is established, the money or property shall be delivered to the claimant by the chief of police.(b) If no claim is made or no such right is established within the forty-five days, the money or property shall be returned to the person who delivered it to the chief of police; provided that if the person who delivered it to the chief of police fails to claim the money or property within thirty days after being notified by the chief of police that the person is entitled to possession, the chief of police shall dispose of the money or property in accordance with the procedures established in section 52D-10. For the purpose of this section, notice by regular mail to the person’s last known address shall be sufficient. [L 1989, c 136, pt of §2]
