UPPS 05.01.20 - Abandoned and Unclaimed Property

POLICY STATEMENT

1. This policy sets forth guidelines for the disposition of abandoned and unclaimed property as specified in Section 13 of Chapter III of the Texas State University System (TSUS) Rules and Regulations.

DEFINITION

1. TSUS Rules and Regulations define abandoned property as follows: “Property shall be considered abandoned if it appears from the circumstances under which the Component comes into possession of the property that the owner has thrown it away or has voluntarily left or lost it without any intent or expectation to regain it.”

PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING THIS POLICY

1. Any person who discovers abandoned or unclaimed property on campus should turn it over to the University Police Department (UPD) or the Materials Management and Logistics Department.

2. Departments may develop an internal “Temporary Retention Policy” establishing the method of storage, time frame of retention (not to exceed five business days), and method of returning abandoned or found property before submitting it to UPD or the Materials Management and Logistics Department. Each policy should require that the department create and maintain a log of property received and its movement.

3. UPD will check with the Texas Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center, if the property possesses the appropriate identifying features, to determine whether the property is listed as stolen.

4. UPD or the Materials Management and Logistics Department will make a reasonable effort to identify and return the property to the owner.

PROCEDURES FOR DISPOSING OF PROPERTY

1. All abandoned or found contraband, weapons of any kind, drugs (including prescription medication), and narcotics must be immediately reported to UPD and surrendered to the responding officer. A police report will be made and the case number provided to the reporting party.

2. Property that meets the following description should be sent immediately to UPD and not to the Materials Management and Logistics Department:

   1. credit cards, wallets, jewelry, watches, handbags, etc.; and

   2. computers, computer storage, storage media, or electronic devices.

   Other property found on campus or in campus facilities that by its very nature meets the TSUS Rules and Regulations' prescription “…that the owner has thrown it away or has voluntarily left or lost it without any intent or expectation to regain it,” may be disposed of by the department that oversees the facility in which it was found. Examples of such property include inexpensive clothing, personal care supplies (such as soaps), and similar items that do not include ownership identification or other identifying marks by which a person could establish ownership.

   UPD may contact the Materials Management and Logistics Department to pick up any property that UPD is not equipped to transport or store.

3. To recover property held by UPD, owners must present proper identification and establish ownership. UPD will maintain a record of the release date, time, and person receiving.

4. After 60 days, UPD may dispose of unclaimed property as follows:

   1. weapons, drugs (including prescription medication), and contraband will be destroyed or handled as stipulated in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures (CCP 18.19);

   2. computers, computer storage, storage media, and other electronic devices will be completely sanitized or otherwise made unreadable, then assigned for university departmental use or transferred to the Materials Management and Logistics Department according to the procedures for disposal of computer equipment and documentation found in UPPS No. 05.01.02, University Surplus Property (Equipment and Consumable Supplies); and

   3. all other property will be assigned for university departmental use or transferred to the Materials Management and Logistics Department as surplus university property.

PROCEDURES FOR PUBLICATION OF THIS POLICY

1. The provost and vice president for Academic Affairs will publish a summary of this policy in the Faculty Handbook.

2. The assistant vice president for Human Resources will publish a summary of this policy in the Staff Handbook.

3. The Office of the Dean of Students will publish a summary of this policy in the Student Handbook.

REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

   Position	Date
   Director, University Police Department	July 1 E6Y

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

Director, University Police Department; senior reviewer of this UPPS

Vice President for Finance & Support Services

President