§ 253. Duties of police. 1. Unless otherwise prescribed in accordance\nwith section two hundred fifty of the general municipal law or section\ntwo hundred twenty-five-a of the executive law and unless otherwise\nprovided by law applicable specifically to matters prescribed in this\nsection, the police with whom found property or a found instrument is\ndeposited shall accept and retain custody of the property or instrument,\nor proceeds of the property in the event of a sale pursuant to\nsubdivision five of this section, and shall give notice of such custody,\nas provided in this section.\n The police with whom found property or a found instrument is deposited\nas provided in this article shall give to the person depositing it a\nreceipt identifying the transaction of deposit and identifying the\nproperty or instrument. Such identification may be by description and\nrecital of the facts of the transaction or by reference numbers,\nduplicate copies of records, or other method connecting the receipt with\nthe records of the police with respect to the property or instrument and\nthe transaction.\n 2. Such property or instrument shall be transmitted, together with the\nreport of the person who deposited it with the police, to the police\nofficer or other official designated to hold such property or\ninstrument, who shall make entry in his records of such deposit and the\nreport of the person depositing such property or instrument with the\npolice.\n 3. If the report of the person who deposited the property or\ninstrument shows that the property or instrument was found in a place\nother than a public street or highway, the police with whom it is\ndeposited shall give notice of the finding and deposit, including the\nlocation of the office to which the property or instrument is\ntransmitted, to the occupant of the premises where the property or\ninstrument was found or to the person in charge of such premises.\n The police with whom an instrument is deposited shall give notice of\nthe deposit to each person whose name and address appears upon the\ninstrument or whose name so appears and whose address is known to the\npolice.\n 4. If at any time the police have reason to believe that a person has\nan interest in found property or in a found instrument in their\npossession and reason to know his whereabouts, they shall give notice of\nthe finding and deposit and the location of the office to which the\nproperty or instrument is transmitted to such person.\n 5. (a) Property having salvage value only may be sold by the police in\nsuch manner as may be reasonable in the circumstances. Perishable\nproperty shall be sold by the police as soon as possible in such manner\nas may be reasonable in the circumstances.\n (b) Property which requires special care may be kept by the police in\npublic or private facilities which the police deem appropriate for the\npurpose of preserving it.\n (c) Any property may be sold by the police at public auction when the\nexpenses reasonably incurred in dealing with it, including expenses of\ntaking of custody, transportation, storage and appraisal, any special\nexpense incurred in giving notice, and any other special expense\nattributable to administration of this article with respect to the\nparticular property, amount to more than one-half the amount reasonably\nestimated as the net sum likely to be realized by sale at public\nauction.\n (d) If property is sold as provided in this subdivision the proceeds\nremaining after deducting the amount of reasonable expenses of the sale\nand reasonable expenses of dealing with the property prior to the sale,\nincluding any items of expense mentioned in paragraph (c), shall be\ndealt with as lost property having the value of the property sold.\n 6. Subject to subdivision three of section two hundred fifty-six of\nthis chapter and to section thirteen hundred ten or other applicable\nsection of the abandoned property law, instruments shall be retained in\nthe
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