Then you fill out this piece of paper and notify the court. It's just all the details. But that is how the law is set up, officials say. It's not quite that simple. There are procedures and statutes in place for that.
State law allows police to auction items after six months if no owner comes forward or can be found.
Police keep the proceeds. Those who hope to keep items they find, or prevent them from being auctioned, must turn to the Illinois Estrays and Lost Property Act. The court then enters an order stating the value and gives a copy of the order to the county clerk. The clerk must then publish a notice for three weeks in a daily newspaper. If the owner does not claim the property within one year of the advertisement, it is turned over to the finder.