FAQs – City of Antioch, California

You need to come to the police department during normal business hours and complete a Request for Release of Information of Property form (RTO). This will be forwarded to our Property/Evidence Sergeant who will determine whether the property in question can be returned. Several factors must be considered and various entities must be contacted before evidence can be released (i.e.. Investigations Division, DA’s Office, Court, other allied agencies – if applicable…) If evidence can be released, it will be. Often, a court order is required to have evidence released. You will be advised of this by one of the property officers, if this is necessary.

Once my property has been authorized to be released, can I just come to the police department and pick it up?

No. Once an RTO has been completed and processed, and the property has been authorized for return, one of our property officers will call you for an appointment. This is done so that we can insure your property has been pulled out of inventory and a property officer is available to release your property when you arrive. Appointments are scheduled on Wednesdays and Fridays between 11:00am and 3:00pm.

Request for Property Release or Police Report

How long will my property be held if I don’t or can’t claim it right away?

Current law mandates that a police department holds found property a minimum of 90 days and prisoner property 60 days. After this period of time, if the property is not claimed, the property can be disposed of, according to law. Due to the amount of property we receive, our property officers dispose of this property soon after the legal time limits. If your property was taken and is being held as evidence, the property can possibly be held for several years, dependant upon the circumstances of the case and the necessity for retaining the actual physical evidence, as opposed to a photo or written description only. This is where the Property/Evidence Sergeant will investigate and determine when an item can be released.

If I find property and would like to keep it if not claimed by the owner, what steps do I need to follow to claim this found property?

At the time the found property is turned into the police department, tell the officer receiving the property that you would like to claim this property if not claimed by the owner. After a period of 90 days, if the owner of the property can not be determined and the rightful owner does not claim the property, the person who found the property may petition the police department for the property. If the value of the property is under $250.00, the found property can be given to the finder. If the value of the property is over $250.00, an ad must be placed in the local newspaper. If there is no response to the ad, the finder of the property is responsible for the cost of the ad. After that fee is paid, the finder will be given the found property and they are the new rightful owner. You must complete an RTO prior to the 90 days from the time it was turned in to claim this property.

Who do I call if I have any property or evidence related questions?

You can call (925) 779-6979 and talk to one of the property officers or (925) 779-6909 and talk to the Property/Evidence Sergeant.

Citizen Ride-Alongs

On occasion, interested parties do request to ride with Antioch police officers. Each request for a ride-along must go through an approval process. The ride-along is generally limited to Antioch residents or applicants for employment. Due to the volume of business on Friday evenings and weekends, citizen ride-alongs are limited and require special approval to ride-along during these times.
Waivers
Prior to approval, the party desiring to ride-along must complete a request for ride-along liability waiver. If the interested party is under the age of eighteen (18) their parent or legal guardian must sign the waiver. Anyone under the age of sixteen (16) may be required to have their parent or guardian accompany them on the ride-along.
Anyone interested in completing a ride-along with the Antioch Police Department can obtain the waiver form at the front lobby of the police department. Once the waiver has been completed it can be turned in at the front lobby of the police department.
Conditions
Safety is paramount and in order to ensure everyone’s safety, the ride-along shall agree to follow orders given by the assigned officer at all times.
The number of ride-alongs is generally held to a minimum. The ride-along waiver form will ask how many times the applicant has ridden with the Antioch Police Department. As a general rule, one ride-along will provide sufficient orientation.
Approval
The approval for a Ride –a long is made on an individual basis. A cursory records check is conducted on each applicant, a review of the reason for the request and the number of previous ride alongs are determining factors in this approval process. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Once approved the applicant will be contacted to arrange the date and time of the ride along.
Inquiries
If you are interested in this program or have questions please contact the Antioch Police department (925) 779 6900 ext. 4053 or 4054.

What do I do if I get arrested for a misdemeanor?