Return of Vehicles - NYPD

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Property Clerk

Towed Vehicles

Police Auction

Motor Vehicle Collisions Reports

Non-Injury Vehicle Collisions

FAQs for Critical / Fatal Injury Collisions


Return of a Vehicle

Retain and safeguard your copy of the property voucher.

It is recommended that you, the owner of the vehicle, call the Erie Basin Auto Pound (718-246-2031 or 718-246-2032) or Springfield Gardens Auto Pound (718-553-9555) to ensure that the vehicle is available and to confirm the documents that are required before going to the Auto Pound. The Auto Pound will confirm if your vehicle is still needed as arrest evidence. You may have an authorized representative make a claim for the vehicle. The representative must have a notarized letter from you, the owner of the property, identifying the individual whom you are authorizing to act as your representative to claim the specific property.

The following papers must be presented to claim the vehicle:

Copy of Property Voucher

Certificate of Title

Proper Identification

District attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release

NOTE: If the vouchered property is NOT Arrest Evidence, a district attorney's release is NOT REQUIRED.

It is important to claim your property as soon as possible.

If property is arrest evidence, claimant must demand the property no later than 120 days after the termination of the criminal proceedings. If no demand is made, the property may be disposed of by the Police Department Property Clerk according to law.

If property is not Arrest Evidence, a demand should be made as soon as possible, whether or not criminal proceedings have been instituted, and, if instituted, any time whether or not such proceedings have been terminated. It is important that the demand be made for this property before 120 days from the day it is vouchered, or the property may be disposed of by the Police Department Property Clerk according to law.

If a demand is made for property which is arrest evidence, and there is no district attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release, the claimant has 270 days from the demand to obtain a district attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release. If a release or a statement refusing to grant a release is not provided to the Property Clerk within 270 days of the demand, the property may be disposed of according to law.

If the claimant provides the Property Clerk with a district attorney's statement that refuses to grant a release, the claimant must obtain and submit a district attorney's release to the NYPD, when the district attorney no longer needs the property.

Forms to request a district attorney's release and/or other forms regarding the release may be obtained at a district attorney's office in any of the five boroughs. The district attorney's release or supervising district attorney's refusal to grant a release must be obtained from the district attorney's office where the criminal case is being prosecuted.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please call the Property Clerk Section's Erie Basin Auto Pound at 718-246-2031 or 718-246-2032 or the Springfield Gardens Auto Pound at 718-553-9555.

The Auto Pounds only accept the following credit cards in payment for storage and Rotation Tow fees: American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover. No Cash or Checks will be accepted.