PROPERTY & EVIDENCE

To claim your property, please call the Property Unit at (831) 758-7394. An appointment is required for property pick-up and is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Valid identification must be presented for the release of property, such as a valid Driver’s License from any state, valid Identification Card from any state, valid Passport, Matricula Card, or similar from any country, and valid United States Military Identification.

AUTHORIZATION FOR PROPERTY PICK-UP

You will need a notarized letter of authorization if someone else is picking up your property. The authorized letter must include the name of the person picking up the property, and they must bring a valid government-issued picture ID. You can download, print, and use the following form for this purpose: Notarized Property and Evidence Release Form. This process does not apply to firearms. For further information regarding firearm releases, please contact us at (831) 758-7394.

PROPERTY UNIT DUTIES

The primary duties of the Property Unit include logging, classifying, storing, dispensing, destroying, and releasing property/evidence to its rightful owner for court presentation and/or destruction or auction.

Evidence

Property is generally held for a minimum of 90 days from the conclusion of any pending court action or investigation. The prosecuting attorney may initiate a court order for return, certifying that the property is no longer needed for court and may be returned to the rightful owner. If no charges are filed, items held as evidence will be held for the statute of limitations for the crime sought. If the item is requested back by the owner and charges were not filed, it is the responsibility of the rightful owner to contact the District Attorney’s office for a request for the property to be released. If the owner does not claim the items after written contact has been made, they may be considered unclaimed and disposed of as prescribed by law.

Safekeeping

Property is generally held for 90 days for pick-up by the owner. If the owner is unable to retrieve the property, they must notify us in writing to release the property to an authorized person. For items that hold significant value, like currency, jewelry, or phones, the owner shall make the request with a notarized letter authorizing said person permission to retrieve the item on behalf of the rightful owner. Failure to claim items within 90 days will invalidate any claim, and the property shall be disposed of as prescribed by law.

Found Property

Found property and/or unattended property is taken into custody for safeguarding until the owner is located. This property is held for a minimum of 90 days while attempts to locate the rightful owner are made.

FINDER: If you wish to claim the property, contact the Property Technicians within 5 days after delivering the property to the Salinas Police Department. You must complete a Found Property Affidavit Claim form. If the property affidavit form is not submitted to us, you will forfeit all rights to the property, and items will be disposed of if no owner is located. (Found firearms and drugs will not be released).

SEARCH WARRANT

All property taken during the service of a search warrant can only be released by order of the court. You must obtain a valid Monterey County Court Order for release of property. Call (831) 755-5070 to speak with the Monterey Court Criminal Division Office for more information on obtaining a court order.

FIREARMS & AMMUNITION

Claiming Firearms

If you are attempting to claim a firearm(s), ammunition, and/or ammunition feeding devices, you must first obtain a clearance letter from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) PC 33850. Beginning December 1, 2021, applicants must electronically submit a Law Enforcement Release (LER) application via the California Firearms Application Reporting System (CFARS). The clearance letter, confirming that you can legally possess a firearm(s), ammunition, and/or ammunition feeding devices, is valid for 30 days. You must make an appointment to retrieve your firearm and/or ammunition before the letter expires. You must also bring a firearm lock or locking case for transportation. Ammunition is not released at the same time as guns. For additional information, you may visit the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Firearms website.

Firearms & Ammunition Transfers

The Salinas Police Federal Firearms License (FFL) Dealer Release form needs to be completed when any firearm which is in the possession of the Salinas Police Department is to be released to a firearms dealer rather than to the registered owner of the firearm(s) in question. This form is most often used under the following circumstances: the owner of the firearm can no longer legally take possession of his/her property but wishes to transfer/sell the weapons to a third party; or when the owner cannot come to the Salinas Police Service building in person to take possession of the firearms.

If the registered owner is prohibited by law from taking the firearms into his/her possession and cannot obtain a Law Enforcement Release form (LER) from California DOJ, they must come to the Salinas Police Property & Evidence Room in person with the FFL holder of their choice. The registered owner must complete the Salinas FFL Dealer Release form, which authorizes us to release the listed firearms to the FFL. The FFL dealer who will take possession of the firearms will then sign the property release forms indicating that he/she has taken legal possession of the firearms and will process any sale in accordance with State law. Both the owner and the FFL must bring valid ID. The FFL dealer must show proof of their current Federal Firearms License.

In instances where the registered owner can legally take possession of the firearm, but cannot accompany the FFL dealer to the Salinas Police Property & Evidence Room, the Salinas Police FFL Dealer Release form must be completed by the owner and a Notary Public must notarize the form along with a photocopy of the registered owner’s identification. We will accept a valid driver’s license, ID card, passport, or military ID. The completed and notarized FFL Dealer Release form and the golden seal copy of the LER verifying that the owner of the firearms can legally possess the weapons must be on file with the Salinas Police Property & Evidence Room before the firearms can be released to the designated FFL. The FFL dealer must show valid identification and proof of their current Federal Firearms License.

Out of State Transfers

Individuals who do not reside in the state of California must have a notary form accompany the Salinas Police Department FFL Firearms Release Form. We will accept a general acknowledgment notary form from the owner’s state of residence along with a photocopy of the registered owner’s identification. All documents must be submitted via certified mail to Salinas Police Department, Property & Evidence, 312 E. Alisal Street, Salinas, CA 93901.

MENTAL HEALTH INCIDENTS – NOTICE OF RIGHTS

If you were detained under Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 5150 and subsequently admitted to a mental health facility, you are prohibited from owning, possessing, and controlling firearms for a period of five (5) years in California. If you currently own any firearms, you must contact the nearest law enforcement agency to surrender those firearms.

If the firearms and/or other deadly weapons were confiscated from you pursuant to WIC 8102, a report of the details surrounding the confiscation of those items may be given to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office must file a petition with the Monterey County Superior Court within 30 days, alleging that the return of the items would likely result in endangering you or others; otherwise, the items must be returned to you as long as you are not prohibited from possessing firearms. If the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office does file such a petition, you have a right to a hearing on the question of whether returning these items would, in fact, likely result in endangering you or others. A copy of the Monterey County District Attorney’s petition will be mailed to you at the address you provided to the Salinas Police Department. If you wish to have a hearing, you must notify the clerk of Monterey County Superior Court within 30 days of the filing date of the Monterey County District Attorney’s petition. The clerk will then set a date and time for such a hearing and a notification will be mailed to you.

VEHICLE RELEASES

Property and Evidence does not provide vehicle releases, please contact the front desk for a vehicle release form.

For more information, please go to our Frequently Asked Questions page.