All property seized by the police during an arrest is “vouchered” under a unique identifying number. Some of these items are held for safekeeping and can be returned by going to the precinct or police headquarters at One Police Plaza and producing the voucher receipt and photo identification. Some items, however, require special permission from the prosecutor before they are returned. An attorney’s assistance is usually required in these situations in order to negotiate a “District Attorney’s Release” for these items. Some items are held for civil forfeiture proceedings and can only be returned by going through a litigation procedure. This happens in instances where the items in question are viewed as the instrumentalities or the fruits of criminal activity (e.g. cash in drug cases, vehicles in DWI cases).
