Property & Evidence
The Evidence Division of the San Ramon Police Department manages the secure storage of all property acquired through various means, including evidence in criminal cases, safekeeping and found property. The division ensures the integrity of evidence for legal proceedings and ultimately returns rightful owners' property.
If your property was booked as evidence or for safekeeping, you will need to contact the Evidence Division to recover your items. All business is conducted by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please call 925-973-2765 or email property@sanramon.ca.gov.
Evidence
Evidence includes items of property which have some
connection to a crime. Because items booked as evidence may be used during a
criminal trial, they are processed differently from other items regarding
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 Contra Costa County District
Attorney’s Office and the detective assigned to the case before property can be
released.
Evidence Division personnel do not have information on case
dispositions. If you have questions about a criminal case or need to know the status,
please contact the District Attorney’s Office at 925-957-2200 or DAOffice@contracostada.org.
Safekeeping
Safekeeping items are those held on behalf of the owner for various
reasons and not intended to be used as evidence in a criminal case. The owner
has 60 days from the date the item comes into our custody to claim their property. Unclaimed items are disposed of in accordance with California law.
Firearms turned in or taken for safekeeping due to a
domestic violence incident of an incident where the person is taken in for
psychiatric evaluation may be retrieved from the Evidence Division when certain
conditions are met and after receiving clearance from the California Department
of Justice (DOJ.) Firearms unclaimed after 180 days will be destroyed.
Found Property
California law requires found property with a value of $100
or more to be turned into the police department. The finder will receive a
property receipt. If the property remains unclaimed for 90 days, the finder may
claim the item. If the item is worth more than $250, it must be advertised in a newspaper for 7 days after the 90-day waiting period, prior to release to
the finder.
If you have found property, please call dispatch as soon as
possible at 925-973-2779. Found items may not be lost, but may have been stolen
or used in the commission of a crime we are currently investigating. Found
property can be turned over to any police officer or brought to the police
department.
If you find property in another city (outside San Ramon)
please call or go to the police department or sheriff’s station in the city or
county where you found the item and turn it in there.
If you find a gun or any other weapon, DO NOT TOUCH IT!
Weapons and Ammunition
If you own any rifles, shotguns, handguns, ammunition or any other type of weapon that you wish to get rid of, you can bring it to the police department for destruction. All firearms MUST be unloaded prior to transporting them to the police department. Please DO NOT attempt to bring a loaded weapon into the police department. If you are not familiar with firearms or are unsure how to unload a weapon, please call non-emergency dispatch at 925-973-2779 and explain to the dispatcher that you have a loaded firearm you want destroyed, but are unsure how to unload it. An officer will be dispatched to retrieve the firearm.
If you find a gun, or any other weapon outside, DO NOT TOUCH IT! Call the non-emergency dispatch at 925-973-2779 and an officer will be dispatched to the location to collect it. It is very important that the weapon remain undisturbed until an officer arrives. The weapon may have been discarded after use in a crime and could be a key item in a current investigation.
California law requires that any time a firearm is reclaimed from a law enforcement agency, the owner must undergo a background check by the California Department of Justice (DOJ). This is done on the California DOJ website:
https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/lerinfo.
They will provide information on how to file an application for a firearm release. This form is called the Law Enforcement Gun Release Application. After the DOJ conducts a background check, they will provide a letter to the applicant authorizing him or her to own/possess firearms.
California law also requires all firearms (pistols and long guns) to be registered prior to release. Please make sure your firearms are registered in your name before you begin the DOJ background process.
An additional check will be made when you come in to claim the weapon to ensure that there has not been a change to your record since the DOJ check. All releases are made by appointment only, and ammunition will not be released at the same time a firearm is released. To schedule an appointment, please call 925-973-2765 or email
property@sanramon.ca.gov.