PENNSYLVANIA — In an effort to streamline the management of unclaimed property, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has announced an informational webinar for police departments across the state. Scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 2:00 p.m., the webinar aims to clarify the responsibilities of police departments as holders of unclaimed property.
Police departments often accumulate various items such as jewelry, electronics, and cash from old cases, which may qualify as unclaimed property. The upcoming webinar will guide these departments on how to report any unclaimed property they have.
“Many police departments have items in their evidence rooms from old cases that may qualify as unclaimed property,” said Pennsylvania State Treasurer, Stacy Garrity. “This webinar will provide a great opportunity to ask questions and help make their jobs a little easier.”
In Pennsylvania, entities like banks, credit unions, insurance companies, utility companies, and businesses that issue checks are considered “holders” of unclaimed property. These holders are legally obligated to send unclaimed property to the Treasury after it has been dormant for a specific period.
Unclaimed property can range from old bank accounts and uncashed checks to insurance policies and contents of forgotten safe deposit boxes. It also includes items received from police departments.
Currently, the Pennsylvania Treasury is working to return more than $4.5 billion in unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians. Tangible property is held by the Treasury for at least three years before it may be auctioned. Proceeds from these auctions are carefully logged and remain available for the rightful owners to claim indefinitely. Notably, military decorations are never auctioned.
In the Fiscal Year 2022-23, the Pennsylvania Treasury returned a record amount of unclaimed property, totaling nearly $274 million.
Police departments interested in participating in the webinar or receiving a link to the recorded presentation afterward are encouraged to contact Treasury’s Legislative Specialist, Hannah Miller, at hmiller@patreasury.gov.
For more information about unclaimed property, or to search, visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.
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