Unclaimed Property
The Tulane University Police Department receives and stores evidentiary, found, and abandoned property. The Property and Evidence personnel are responsible for notifying and returning property to the rightful owners when possible. Any property that has not been picked up in a timely manner or is no longer needed by the courts will be destroyed or donated to a nonprofit organization in accordance with L.R.S. 33:2333. The Tulane University Police Department does not auction property to citizens.
If you are a nonprofit organization interested in receiving property as a donation, please contact the Property and Evidence personnel listed below. The donations will be on a first come, first serve basis. We recommend keeping track of your property by securely storing serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures and more with the FREE property inventory system ReportIt.
Hours of Operation and Property Release Appointments
Property and Evidence personnel will be available by appointment only, Monday thru Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm, with the exception of holidays. A valid ID is required for all appointments (Tulane University SPLASH card is acceptable).
We are located on the Tulane University uptown campus, first floor of the Diboll Complex parking garage, near the elevators. If you have any questions or would like to arrange an appointment, please call: 504-314-2396.
You can also email questions about property release and set up appointments at property@tulane.edu. Please reference your name, contact information, police department case number and a description of the item(s) in question.
Notice of Unclaimed Property
Tulane University Police Department intends to dispose of a number of items acquired during its regular course of business.
The legal owners of these items are either unknown or have failed to respond to all attempts to contact them.
Claiming Property
If you are the rightful owner of an item, please contact the Evidence Unit at (504) 314-2396
Proof of ownership and verification of eligibility to possess the unclaimed property is required prior to the return of any items.
About Unclaimed Property
Property not claimed within 150 days of being held will be destroyed pursuant to L.R.S. 33:2333
Some property, including contraband may be released to the department for official use.
Bicycles may be donated to an non-profit organization.
Unclaimed Property
| Date | (Case #) Item Number | Property Description |
|---|---|---|
| 186 | Blk Bayside | |
| 239 | Black Hyper | |
| 171 | Roadmaster | |
| 189 | Red Schwinn | |
| 244 | Teal Providence | |
| 192 | Purple Huffy | |
| 247 | Bue Retrospec | |
| 195 | Teal Huffy | |
| 252 | Blue Roadmaster | |
| 202 | Black Gensis |
Property vs Evidence
Found Property - Includes property found by an employee or citizen where the owner cannot be readily identified or contacted and has no apparent evidentiary value. This property will be held for 180 days and posted to the below public notice in an effort to reach owners so they may retrieve their property. After 180 days, if the owner has not been located, the Property and Evidence personnel will make the property available to the finder of the property. If that citizen has no interest in the found property, or does not collect the property in a timely manner, the property will be destroyed or donated to a nonprofit organization.
Safekeeping Property - Safekeeping items are those held for the owner for various reasons and are not intended to be used as evidence in a criminal case. The owner has 180 days from the date the items are received to pick up his/her property. Unclaimed items are disposed of in accordance with Louisiana law.
A firearm may not be released until it has been verified that the person receiving the weapon is not prohibited from receiving or possessing the weapon by 18 USC § 922 (d).
Contraband - All contraband items (illegal weapons, ammunition, pyrotechnics, drugs, narcotics, paraphernalia, etc.), which are confiscated, found, or otherwise turned into the Tulane University Police Department, will be destroyed.
Evidence - Evidence includes items of property, which have some connection to a crime (such as tools used to commit a burglary or items recovered from a previous burglary). Because items booked as evidence may be used during the course of a criminal trial, they are handled differently from other items in regard to handling, packaging, etc.
Items held as evidence are usually retained until the prosecution of the criminal case has been concluded on all parties involved in the case. Approval may be required from both the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office and the police officer involved in the case before property can be released.
Property and Evidence personnel DO NOT have information on case dispositions. If you have questions about a criminal case or need to know the current status, please contact the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office at (504) 822-2414. And ask to speak to the Assistant District Attorney in charge of the case (you will need to provide the Tulane University Police Department case number or New Orleans Police Department item number).
