Lost, Found and Confiscated Property

This Residence Hall-specific procedure is in accordance with New York State Personal Property Law, Civil Code [Article 7-B] concerning Lost and Found Objects, and the SUNY Morrisville Council Policy concerning confiscation. The safekeeping of student property is the responsibility of each individual student and no reimbursement can be expected from the College for the loss or theft of any property for any cause. Rooms should remain locked and valuables secured at all times. Upon termination of a College Housing License or when a student vacates a Residence Hall, any property left behind becomes the immediate property of the College. Such property will be disposed of according to this published “Lost, Found, and Confiscated Property” Policy. In no event will the College be held responsible for any objects determined to be missing, lost, or stolen from an area where Lost, Found and Confiscated Property is placed for any amount of time. Students are urged to register their possessions under their family homeowner policy or make other arrangements for insurance coverage. Students are urged to report any thefts to University Police staff immediately.

Confiscation
1. University Police and Residence Life staffs are authorized to confiscate illegal or prohibited items, substances and related paraphernalia.
  1. University Police will dispose of illegal materials.
  2. Residence Life will process other confiscated items.
2. Confiscated items [other than illegal items] will be registered by the staff member responsible for the confiscation. The staff member will record the following relevant information in their duty log as soon as possible:
  1. A brief description of the object (i.e., type, shape, and color).
  2. The date & time it was confiscated.
  3. The location where the object was confiscated.
  4. Once logged, the object should be bagged [if possible] and tagged [any tagging method is acceptable].
  5. The tag should be affixed to or written upon the closed bag or the item itself.
  6. The tag should bear the reporting staff member’s name and the date.
  7. The object will then be deposited in Lost, Found and Confiscated property area for disposal.
Reclaiming a Confiscated Object
1. Confiscated objects must be properly reclaimed and removed by a claimant when they are leaving for scheduled Residence Hall closing. Confiscated objects will not be returned unless the object will be immediately removed from the Residence Hall system. The claimant must reclaim their property before the next scheduled closing of the Residence Hall system. If an object is not reclaimed before the next scheduled closing of the Residence Hall system, it will be considered “overdue” and subject to disposal [as detailed below]. To reclaim a confiscated object, a claimant must perform the following actions:
  1. Provide the Residence Hall Director with a valid College Identity Card or establish date of birth through another government issued identity card (i.e., driver’s license, health insurance card, birth certificate, or citizenship card)
  2. Complete and sign a property claim record [A voluntary statement form can be used with a description of the transaction, signed by both parties, and a copy of the NCR form given to each]
  3. The Residence Hall Director will:
    1. Sign and retain a copy of the property claim record
    2. Remove and retain the tag from the object [if available]
    3. Release the object to the claimant
    4. Attach the tag to the staff copy of the property claim record
Finding Unattended/Unwanted Property

If unattended property is found within or directly outside a Residence Hall room which is reasonably determined to be vacant or outside the Residence Hall itself:
1. An individual should attempt to locate the owner by interviewing nearby people, telephoning the occupant(s) of the room, and finally sending notification of found property to the resident(s) address of record with the assistance of a College staff member. A staff member can use a voluntary statement form, document a description of the unattended property, give instructions for where to retrieve the property, and finally sign the form along with the finder. A copy of the form can be mailed to the owner and another maintained by the holder of the property or the building administrator.
2. If the owner can’t be determined or located, they should note the location where the item(s) was found, bag and tag the item, secure it in their office, register the item in the appropriate staff log, and relay the information to their supervisor.
3. Whenever there is evidence of a suspicious package (i.e. explosive device) contact University Police immediately.
Submission

If someone other than College staff finds unattended property:
1. They should turn it in to a College staff member.
2. The staff member should ask that person where the object was found and under what circumstances it was found.
3. The staff member should then follow the procedure described in “Founding an Object.”
Registration

When an object is registered, the staff member should record it in their duty log as soon as possible and include relevant information such as:
1. The location where the object was found or reportedly found.
2. The date and time it was found or produced.
3. A brief description of the object (i.e., type, shape, and color).
4. Once logged, the object should be bagged [if possible] and tagged [any tagging method is acceptable].
5. The tag should be securely affixed to the closed bag, written on the bag or the item itself.
6. The tag should be clearly marked with the reporting staff member’s name and the date
7. The object will then be deposited in a Lost, Found, and Confiscated property area.
Searching

Anyone looking for a lost object should perform the following tasks:
1. Prepare and offer a precise written description of the object including the time frame during which it would have been lost and the possible locations.
2. Present University Police staff with this documentation and ask the staff member to review their log to determine if any object fitting the description has been registered.
3. If the sought object isn’t registered, repeat the process with staff in the other possible locations.
4. If the sought object is registered, ask to have the tagged item displayed to you to confirm whether it is your object.
5. If the displayed object does not correspond to your description, the staff member will retain it and contact their supervisor.
Claiming an Object

Anyone claiming ownership of an object should be prepared to perform the following actions to register their claim:
1. Provide the Residence Hall Director with a valid College identity card or establish date of birth through another government issued identity card (i.e., driver’s license, health insurance card, birth certificate, or citizenship card).
2. Complete and sign a property claim record [a voluntary statement form will suffice].
3. The Residence Hall Director will:
  1. Sign and retain a copy of the property claim record.
  2. Remove and retain the tag from the object.
  3. Release the object to the claimant.
  4. Attach the tag to the staff copy of the property claim record.
Contesting a Claim

If any person contests a claim made by another, they should immediately contact the Director of Residence Life.
Purging of Objects

Residence Hall Directors periodically inventory objects observed in a holding area for Lost, Found or Confiscated Property and work with Maintenance staff to purge the objects. Purging of objects will generally occur at the end of the academic year or whenever an area needs to be cleared.
Disposal of Objects

Maintenance staffs are authorized to dispose of unclaimed lost and found and confiscated objects at their discretion.