07.01.04 – Disposition of Lost and Found Personal Property
Section: Public Safety
Area: General Police Services
I. PURPOSE
This document was written to ensure compliance with the laws of the State of Texas concerning the identification and disposition of lost and found property while under the control of the University of Houston (UH) Main Campus.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Lost and Found: The tangible items of property that are not owned by UH, where the identity of the rightful and lawful owner is also not known or the owner has yet to be determined.
B. Capital Assets: Possessions that have a single unit value of $5,000 or greater and an estimated useful life of more than one year. Generally, a capital asset must be self-contained for its primary use and have sufficient size to make its control feasible by means of marking with identification numbers and/or manufacturer's serial numbers. Items not meeting these criteria are classified as expendable, with generally two exceptions: controlled assets and student general property deposit.
C. Controlled Assets: Assets that the State Comptroller's office determines must be secured and tracked due to the nature of the items, between the ranges of $500 and $4,999.99, with an estimated useful life of more than one year. These assets are not capitalized assets, real property, improvements to real property, or infrastructure. A list of controlled asset item types can be found in the Texas State Property Accounting Process User's Guide - Appendix A - https://fmx.cpa.texas.gov/fmx/pubs/spaproc/appendices/appa/appa_6.php .
D. Student General Property Deposit: A deposit collected by an institution of higher education from each student to insure the institution against losses, damages, and breakage in libraries and laboratories.
III. GENERAL GUIDELINES
A. Lost and found property handling will be governed by Texas Education Code, Section 51.213 and by the UH Police Department policies, as set forth by the Chief of Police.
B. The Chief of Police in the UH Police Department is responsible for the proper disposition of lost and found personal property. This includes the identification, recognition, notification, reporting, and remittance functions for all property where the owner of the property is not known or has yet to be identified. Sufficient detailed accounting records shall be maintained by the Chief of Police in accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 51.213 . Capital Assets, Controlled Assets, and Student General Property are not governed by this directive and are covered under MAPP 03.03.01.
IV. REPORTING AND DELIVERY
A. The UH Police Department shall serve as the central repository and storage of all personal property turned in as lost and found at the UH Main campus. All Lost and Found Property turned in to the UH Police Department from other UH departments shall be turned in no more than ten business days after being received. Departments may bring found property to the Police Department at 4051 Wheeler Avenue 24 hours a day, or call 713-743-3333 to have the property collected by a member of the police department. Types of lost and found property that will or will not be accepted and maintained will be governed by the UH Police Department's Chief of Police.
B. Some items of property that will not be accepted are identified as follows, but not limited to:
1. Clothing and clothing items with no identifiable owner, due to sanitary risks.
2. Items collected by other UH Main Campus departments as a part of doing routine business when the rightful owner of the property is known by that department.
3. Items collected by other UH Main Campus departments considered to have no intrinsic value, where there is no practical way of determining the owner (i.e., textbooks with no owner information, non-prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, umbrellas and other items of this general nature).
4. Bicycles secured to bike racks that have been left for extended periods of time and in obvious disrepair (abandoned bikes). The guidelines for bicycles abandoned on campus are explained in MAPP 09.04.02 .
5. Food or food products.
C. A listing of items maintained in the UH Main Campus Lost and Found is found here: https://www.uh.edu/police/community-services/lost-and-found/.
D. All lost and found property remaining in the possession of the UH Police Department for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days without claim of ownership by the lawful owner may be transferred to the UH Main Campus Property Management Department for final disposition, or disposed of by the UH Police Department's Chief of Police in accordance with guidelines set forth by Texas Education Code, Section 51.213 .
V. LOCATING AND RECOVERING LOST PROPERTY
Individuals that have lost or misplaced any item on the UH Main Campus are encouraged to report the loss to the UH Police Department via the available online reporting system on the Police Department's Lost and Found web site , or by telephone at 713-743-0620 during our normal business hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If the item is located, the UH Police Department will make arrangements with the owner for its return.
REFERENCES
Texas Education Code, Section 51.213
Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures (MAPP) 03.03.01, Property Management Overview
UH Main Campus Lost and Found Web Site
UH Online Reporting System (Report Lost Property)
MAPP 09.04.02 – Bicycles on Campus
Issued: 08/19/2015
Last Reviewed/Revised: 05/15/2019
Responsible Office(s): UHPD