Police Property and Evidence

The Property Room is open Monday through Friday (closed holidays) from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone: 897-2374 or 897-2375.

Property Retrieval

All safekeeping property can be claimed Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Identification will be required as well as the case number.

All found property must be held 90 days, if not claimed within 10 days after the expiration of the 90th day, all claim is relinquished. If you do claim found property within the time limit, you'll need the case number and your identification. If you do not have the case number, contact the Records Bureau for assistance.

Bike viewing (lost or stolen) will be done by appointment only.

Evidence Property - For victims or suspects, the Property Room is only a storage location for all forms of evidence. We do not make decisions for the release of any evidence item. Evidence can only be released in one of two ways: First, by the police officer or detective that is handling the case, in which an appointment will have to be made to speak with them. Second, by a court order. Forms can be obtained for adjudicate misdemeanor cases from the District Attorney at 118 E. Figueroa Street (Municipal Court Building), and adjudicate felony cases from Superior Court. Forms for property can be obtained from the District Attorney at 1105 Santa Barbara Street-Courthouse. As a suggestion, you should have your attorney request those items to be returned at the time your case is concluded.

When the court order is received by the Property Office a notice will be sent advising that those item(s) are ready for release. When picking up property your identification will be required.

Evidence can only be picked up by the person(s) named on the court order, and by appointment only--call ahead.

Property Identification

Stolen or found property is easily returned if the property has been engraved with the property owner's driver's license or California identification number.

LOST PROPERTY: A police report should be filed the same day of the loss, while those items are still fresh in your mind. If you don't remember any serial numbers at the time of your report, you can always call them in at a later date. You will need to remember the police department case number so be sure to obtain it before you leave the police department or before the police officer leaves.

A post card will be sent to notify the owner(s) of found property that has identification on or inside of it.

For Citizens Out-of-Town

For Citizens Out-of-Town who have lost an identifiable item, and received notice from the Santa Barbara Police Department the following procedures should be followed: Upon receiving the Property Room notice you will need to send the Property Officer a notarized letter. The letter must include your name and address (clearly printed) and the case number. Once the Property Office receives the letter and depending on the size, the property will be mailed or sent by Parcel Post (C.O.D. on all Parcel Posts). The City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Police Department can not be held responsible for any damage or loss while the property is out of our control. You should call the Property Room if there are any questions.

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