SOP_NUMBER: 223.03 TITLE: Property/Cash Found by Staff or Offenders REFERENCE_CODE: IIB07-0001 DIVISION: Facilities Division TOPIC_AREA: 201-202 Policy-Facilities Accounts/Funds/Subsidies EFFECTIVE_DATE: 2020-06-30 WORD_COUNT: 764 POWERDMS_URL: https://public.powerdms.com/GADOC/documents/105796 URL: https://gps.press/sop-data/223.03/ SUMMARY: This policy establishes procedures for handling property and cash found by staff members or offenders at Georgia Department of Corrections facilities. Found items do not become the property of the person who finds them. The policy requires found items to be reported using incident report and chain of custody forms, forwarded to the Warden/Superintendent and Deputy Warden of Administration, and ultimately disposed of through return to the rightful owner, transfer to State Treasury, or referral to the Office of Professional Standards. The policy applies to all state and county GDC facilities and does not cover contraband items. KEY_TOPICS: found property, found cash, money orders, jewelry, Chain of Custody Form, incident reporting, property disposition, lost and found, facility property management, staff discoveries, offender discoveries, secure storage, State Treasury ======================================================================== FULL TEXT: ======================================================================== |GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)| |**Policy Number:**223.03|**Effective Date:**6/30/2020|**Page Number:** 1 of 3| |**Authority:**
Commissioner|**Originating Division:**
Facilities Division|**Access Listing:**
Level I: All Access| **I.** **Introduction and Summary:** A. It shall be the policy of Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) that Property/Cash, as defined in this procedure, found on facility/center property by staff or offender(s), or found by staff or offender(s) on detail outside the facility/center shall not become the property of the staff or the offender(s). The found Property/Cash shall be disposed of in accordance with guidelines outlined in this procedure. B. This procedure does not apply to items of contraband (such as drugs, etc.), but rather found items that could be expected to have been in the lawful possession of someone. Items of contraband shall be handled in accordance with SOP 206.02 Management of Offender Property or Contraband. C. This policy is applicable to all state and county facilities/centers. **II.** **Authority:** A. GDC Board Rules: 125-2-1-.01(b) and 125-2-1-01(d); B. GDC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): 203.03 Incident Reporting and 206.02 Management of Offender Property or Contraband; and C. ACA Standards: 5-ACI-1B-09 (ref. 4-4033), 5-ACI-1B-10 (ref. 4-4034), and 4 ACRS-7D-21. **III.** **Definitions:** A. **Property/Cash** - Checks, money orders, coins/currency, or any other items (such as jewelry, rings, firearms, etc.) that could be construed as being of significant value. **IV.** **Statement of Policy and Applicable Procedures:** A. Property/Cash Found by Offenders: |GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)| |**Policy Number:**223.03|**Effective Date:**6/30/2020|**Page Number:** 2 of 3| |**Authority:**
Commissioner|**Originating Division:**
Facilities Division|**Access Listing:**
Level I: All Access| 1. Property/Cash found by an offender does not become the property of that offender. When Property/Cash is found, it shall be turned in to a member of the facility/center staff. 2. The staff member receiving the found Property/Cash from an offender shall complete a Chain of Custody Form (Attachment 6 of SOP 206.02). An Incident Report Form (Attachment 1 of SOP 203.03) shall also be completed, which shall include the following: a. Who found the Property/Cash; b. What type and the amount of Property/Cash found; and c. What the staff member did with the Property/Cash. 3. The found Property/Cash, along with the forms, shall be sent to the Warden/Superintendent's office for review and then forwarded to the Deputy Warden of Administration or designee in the facility business office, for final disposition. Until the final disposition, the Property/Cash will be kept in a secure location, i.e., a safe, or other locked area with limited access. a. Disposition by the appropriate staff person may include the following: i. Any cash shall be turned over to the State Treasury if appropriate; ii. Attempting to discover the owner and returning to the rightful owner; or iii. Turn it over to GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) for final disposition. |GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|**Policy Name:** Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)| |**Policy Number:**223.03|**Effective Date:**6/30/2020|**Page Number:** 3 of 3| |**Authority:**
Commissioner|**Originating Division:**
Facilities Division|**Access Listing:**
Level I: All Access| b. The appropriate staff person shall maintain a record of who handled the items utilizing the Chain of Custody Form, Attachment 6 in SOP 206.02. Records of final disposition shall also be maintained. B. Property/Cash Found by Staff on Duty: 1. Staff while on duty who find Property/Cash as defined in this procedure shall forward the Property/Cash to the Warden/Superintendent's office. An Incident Report Form (Attachment 1 in SOP 203.03) shall be completed and forwarded with the Property/Cash. 2. The Warden/Superintendent shall review and forward the Property/Cash to the Deputy Warden of Administration or designee in the facility business office for final disposition. 3. The staff member who found the Property/Cash shall be advised of final disposition by the Deputy Warden of Administration or designee in the facility business office using the contact information on the Incident Report Form. **V.** **Attachments:** None. **VI.** **Record Retention of Forms Relevant to this Policy:** None.