POCOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
SUBJECT
VEHICLE INVENTORY POLICY
NUMBER:
5.001
EFFECTIVE DATE:
01-23-2012
SCHEDULED REVIEW
DATE:
DATE REVIEWED:
08-02-2014
ISSUE DATE:
01-23-2012
02-05-2014
REVISION DATE:
02-05-2014
APPROVED BY:
I.
Chief Steve Howard
Purpose and Scope
A. The purpose of this policy is to define the Pocola Police Department’s procedures for
impounding vehicles and for the inventorying of the vehicle’s contents.
II.
Policy
A. It is the policy of the Pocola Police Department that whenever any vehicle is taken into
custody by an officer of this agency, or if an officer of the Pocola Police Department
causes a vehicle to be impounded, that officer shall inventory the vehicle.
III.
Procedures
A. The purpose of a vehicle inventory is not to seek out evidence of a crime. The vehicle
inventory is an administrative function conducted for the following reasons:
1. To protect the owner’s property: This obligation may be legal or moral, but the
courts have supported the police’s responsibility to protect property taken into
custody from unauthorized interference.
2. To protect the police from disputes and claims that the property was stolen or
damaged. Proper inventory at the time of custody provides an accurate record
of the condition of the property at the time it was seized.
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Subject: Vehicle Inventory Policy
Effective Date: 01-23-2012
Number: 5.001
POCOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT
3. To protect the police and public from danger. Custody of an automobile
subjects the police and public to conditions that require inventorying the
vehicle for objects such as bombs, hazardous devices, hazardous chemicals,
etc.
4. To determine the owner’s identity. Identifying the owner will help the police
know to whom the property should be released.
B.
Officers must have a lawful basis for acquiring custody of a vehicle before an inventory
is conducted. Some examples of a lawful basis include:
1. Constitutes evidence of a crime.
2. To protect the public safety and convenience.
3. Abandonment
4. When the owner or driver is arrested.
C. The vehicle inventory shall include all spaces within the vehicle and the trunk or bed of
the vehicle and shall include an inventory of all containers therein, including those that
are closed or locked.
D. An officer, upon conducting a non-consensual tow of a vehicle, shall complete a Pocola
Police Department Auto Storage Report. In some instances, such as a vehicle burned
beyond recognition, may prevent a complete Auto Storage Report being done, but all
efforts will be made to accurately identify the vehicle and it’s owner.
E. An officer, upon conducting a consensual tow of a vehicle, shall complete a Pocola
Police Department Auto Storage Report, but no inventory of the vehicles contents will
be required. The only exception to this will be the towing of vehicles during Extreme
Weather Conditions Procedures. Hazardous conditions often exist during this time,
and the safety of our citizens, visitors, and officers are of paramount importance.
During Extreme Weather Conditions Procedures the Pocola Police Department’s
Communications Unit will simply note the wrecker company towing the vehicle.
F. If valuables are located inside the vehicle or a container therein which should be stored
separately from the vehicle, it is the duty of the officer conducting the inventory to
record the nature and description of the valuable item, the condition of the valuable
item, and the location where this item is stored in the appropriate section of the Auto
Storage Report.
1. The completed copy of the Auto Storage Report shall be given to the Pocola
Police Department Communications Unit.
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Subject: Vehicle Inventory Policy
Effective Date: 01-23-2012
Number: 5.001
POCOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT
G. No vehicle will be intentionally damaged during the inventory.
H. A vehicle inventory will only be performed on vehicles taken into “custody” by an officer
during a police action. “Custody” means a vehicle that the officer must have towed and
stored by a wrecker company, or a vehicle driven or towed to the police department for
further processing. No vehicle inventory will be performed on vehicles that are to be
released or left lawfully parked at the responsible party’s request.
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Subject: Vehicle Inventory Policy
Effective Date: 01-23-2012
Number: 5.001
POCOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT