rk911
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Actually, that's how my lost wallet was returned to me...minus the cash. But my ID' and credit cards were included. But fhat was 40-years ago.
Found Wallet- what to do next?
- Thread starter CRLLS
- Start date
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Not in the mood to argue. Here is what I found since you suggest it's not true. (I suppose it's not universally true. Some jurisdictions might be able to shield some info but this is my understanding below):
What Is a Police Blotter and Is It a Public Record?
Grasp the function and public nature of police blotters. Discover how these essential records provide insight into daily law enforcement activity.
legalclarity.org
If you still disagree, I'm willing to agree to disagree.
CRLLS
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
^this. We have expert "creepers" in our family. We can find a lot about individuals in a short amount of time on the internet. Plus, the physical items in the wallet suggest possibly not being an upstanding citizen. Still, we want to get it back to them though if only for their few dollars and peace of mind. That is what I would want if somebody found my wallet.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I support that idea of returning. Just kinda concerned about privacy.
When I was maybe 11, I found a wallet with $64 in it (that was a small fortune ca 1958 - especially to a kid). I returned it to the guy's house and he thanked me. No reward, but I didn't expect one.
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
So mail it to the closest PD as others have suggested. I’d just call to confirm and mail it, but then we don’t have any idea what you found that’s giving you pause.
COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I disagree having been involved in situations never made public.Not in the mood to argue. Here is what I found since you suggest it's not true. (I suppose it's not universally true. Some jurisdictions might be able to shield some info but this is my understanding below):
What Is a Police Blotter and Is It a Public Record?
Grasp the function and public nature of police blotters. Discover how these essential records provide insight into daily law enforcement activity.
If you still disagree, I'm willing to agree to disagree.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I'm glad to hear that your privacy was maintained. I think that's the way it should be, but it's not universally true from what I have seen.
Best regards.
COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
This thread is interesting. I don’t live in the Chicago area and if I did I may feel differently, but the level of paranoia expressed here, I find interesting. Personally, I would have it mailed blindly back to the last known address. Done.
rk911
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Good. Then the OP needs to simply follow the advice to take it or mail it to the police in the town where it was found.
As for the "police blotter"... citizens can obtain copies of police reports minus the names and identification of victims, witnesses and other involved parties. Those names, addresses, etc. are not included. In our area police reports have two sections...the what, where, when and the narrative. As PIO for the 9-1-1 center I could, with permission from the involved police or fire dept (which was rarely given), provide the who, what, when, where to the press but nothing else.
What Andy or Barney do in Mayberry may be different but the OP has nothing to fear by getting the wallet to the police.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Hey, just 'cause you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to getcha!
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I've often heard 911 calls that have been released to the news organizations. I don't think they are routinely released (and most are not interesting) but in some jurisdictions, even 911 calls are considered public information (with statutory restrictions applied). Source:
Are 911 Calls Public Record and How Can You Access Them?
Explore the accessibility of 911 call records, legal nuances, and how to request them while understanding privacy considerations.
legalclarity.org
easysurfer
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2008
- Messages
- 13,984
I once found a wallet with cash and IDs in a grocery store parking lot. I called the person and the person said just give to to grocery store customer service which I did.
CRLLS
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I can see how my actions may look to be paranoid. I prefer to think of it as practicing family safety. There is no need to get personally involved. I could have just left it there for someone else to pick up the wallet, but I didn't know it would get back to the right individual. I choose to be a good Samaritan but anonymous.
Something similar happened to me. I found something of value one late night and when I called the nearest business about itthe next morning I was accused of stealing.
I just sent it to the local PD with a short note and a fake return address. I did put a return address on the package as I figured they may be wouldn’t open it without one?
I just sent it to the local PD with a short note and a fake return address. I did put a return address on the package as I figured they may be wouldn’t open it without one?
rk911
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Yes...but not the caller's identification...name, address, phone number, etc.I've often heard 911 calls that have been released to the news organizations. I don't think they are routinely released (and most are not interesting) but in some jurisdictions, even 911 calls are considered public information (with statutory restrictions applied). Source:
Are 911 Calls Public Record and How Can You Access Them?
Explore the accessibility of 911 call records, legal nuances, and how to request them while understanding privacy considerations.
On Edit: I was occasionally served with a Subpoena Duces Tecum to produce relevent information of an incident...the actual 9-1-1 call, any written records, etc, And, if the subpoena specified...the caller information. With 9-1-1 we know the phone number the call is being made from and name and address of the person who has that number (which may not be the person making the call). But those subpoenas were issued by the court and sent to the state's atty's office for use in preparing a criminal case.
Last edited:
Pluperfect
Full time employment: Posting here.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2018
- Messages
- 505
Not a Jaguar, but a Rolex. About 35 years ago, I got a call from the police out of the blue. I can't remember how they approached it, but someone found my watch in the street in front of a friend's house and somehow turned it in to the cops. I didn't even know I'd dropped it. But I'd etched my driver's license number in the inner part of the bracelet that gets folded over--a nice flat surface for TXDL and 7 digits--and before I even realize I'd lost it I was being told somebody found it.
I had to go to the property room to pick it up, and was amazed at all the stuff in there, including many many suitcases. I guess burglars load stuff up in them and when the burglars get caught, the suitcases are among the loot?
I'm a ground watcher when I walk, and have found all sorts of stuff. I got a kid's college ID back to him by just dropping by the address on it while I was riding my bike around the campus and knocking on his door. I found a Texan's driver's license in a Colorado resort town and found a phone number for him (not easy these days) but he was already on his way back home so I mailed it to him.
(I now have a phone number written on the back of my driver's license.)
Probably almost 20 years ago I found a cell phone that belonged to some teenager and called numbers in the phone until I found somebody in his family. His mother came to pick it up and gave me a $15 Starbucks gift card to thank me. I still have $3.56 on it because I (obviously) pretty much never go to Starbucks. Nice thought, though.
I found a wallet at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I had the owner paged, handed it to her, let her thank me, and I vanished. It never occurred to me that she might accuse me of taking some money--I just didn't want to get into a discussion about a reward.
But the best is the digital camera I found on a picnic table on the beach on Padre Island in Texas, in the early days of digital cameras, when they were quite expensive. I got the photos on my computer, in case the camera's battery was fixing to die, and got to sleuthing. I knew somebody's name was Ms Williams because of a cake there was a picture of, and I recognized a school logo in Austin. Was never able to match the parade photos to anything.
But on the school's website, there was a staff directory and the field a Ms Williams taught in matched some of the content in the photos, so I emailed her using her email address listed there and boy was she surprised.
Turns out her dad lived in Corpus Christi (he appeared to be bedridden, from the photos she had) and she went down there to see him, took a break to go to the beach one day, and left her camera there. As I was doing all my analysis of the photos I was wondering why, because I really wanted a digital camera. But the challenge was stronger, and I was able to put the camera in her dad's mailbox for retrieval. I did tell her she takes entirely too many pictures of her cat.
In the OP's case, I'd do as much internet sleuthing as I could to get the best address I could find, and take a field trip (preferably with something else to do there or en route) and go there and ask for them by name and if they're there, get them to describe the wallet. If they're not, see if someone who answers the door can describe it. If nobody could do that or nobody's around, I'd take it to the closest police station. I get the desire not to divulge who I am, so if the cops insisted, I'd just set it on the counter and walk out and let the gods take care of it from that point.
Frankly, I'm surprised in the OP's case that the other PD wouldn't help out. Or maybe I'm not, and that's why I always try to take things into my own hands first.
ETA: But now that I think about it, I just went to my Class of 1975 high school reunion and a girl I used to run around a little told me she always assumed I'd end up working for the FBI, so I was expressing these predilections a long time ago.
Last edited:
Lewis Clark
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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- Aug 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,550
Or look at the Property Appraiser or Tax Collector website for the county where the wallet's address is located.
richardsok
Recycles dryer sheets
Great little story and top notch amateur detective work with the camera! (Don't tell me: you were an English teacher. Yes?)Not a Jaguar, but a Rolex. About 35 years ago, I got a call from the police out of the blue. I can't remember how they approached it, but someone found my watch in the street in front of a friend's house and somehow turned it in to the cops. I didn't even know I'd dropped it. But I'd etched my driver's license number in the inner part of the bracelet that gets folded over--a nice flat surface for TXDL and 7 digits--and before I even realize I'd lost it I was being told somebody found it.
I had to go to the property room to pick it up, and was amazed at all the stuff in there, including many many suitcases. I guess burglars load stuff up in them and when the burglars get caught, the suitcases are among the loot?
I'm a ground watcher when I walk, and have found all sorts of stuff. I got a kid's college ID back to him by just dropping by the address on it while I was riding my bike around the campus and knocking on his door. I found a Texan's driver's license in a Colorado resort town and found a phone number for him (not easy these days) but he was already on his way back home so I mailed it to him.
(I now have a phone number written on the back of my driver's license.)
Probably almost 20 years ago I found a cell phone that belonged to some teenager and called numbers in the phone until I found somebody in his family. His mother came to pick it up and gave me a $15 Starbucks gift card to thank me. I still have $3.56 on it because I (obviously) pretty much never go to Starbucks. Nice thought, though.
I found a wallet at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I had the owner paged, handed it to her, let her thank me, and I vanished. It never occurred to me that she might accuse me of taking some money--I just didn't want to get into a discussion about a reward.
But the best is the digital camera I found on a picnic table on the beach on Padre Island in Texas, in the early days of digital cameras, when they were quite expensive. I got the photos on my computer, in case the camera's battery was fixing to die, and got to sleuthing. I knew somebody's name was Ms Williams because of a cake there was a picture of, and I recognized a school logo in Austin. Was never able to match the parade photos to anything.
But on the school's website, there was a staff directory and the field a Ms Williams taught in matched some of the content in the photos, so I emailed her using her email address listed there and boy was she surprised.
Turns out her dad lived in Corpus Christi (he appeared to be bedridden, from the photos she had) and she went down there to see him, took a break to go to the beach one day, and left her camera there. As I was doing all my analysis of the photos I was wondering why, because I really wanted a digital camera. But the challenge was stronger, and I was able to put the camera in her dad's mailbox for retrieval. I did tell her she takes entirely too many pictures of her cat.
In the OP's case, I'd do as much internet sleuthing as I could to get the best address I could find, and take a field trip (preferably with something else to do there or en route) and go there and ask for them by name and if they're there, get them to describe the wallet. If they're not, see if someone who answers the door can describe it. If nobody could do that or nobody's around, I'd take it to the closest police station. I get the desire not to divulge who I am, so if the cops insisted, I'd just set it on the counter and walk out and let the gods take care of it from that point.
Frankly, I'm surprised in the OP's case that the other PD wouldn't help out. Or maybe I'm not, and that's why I always try to take things into my own hands first.
ETA: But now that I think about it, I just went to my Class of 1975 high school reunion and a girl I used to run around a little told me she always assumed I'd end up working for the FBI, so I was expressing these predilections a long time ago.
freedomatlast
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2013
- Messages
- 1,557
Interesting how many people say to take it or mail it to the police, like they think the police would actually be honest and return it to the person who lost it. Not likely these days. If OP is so concerned about anonymity, what's wrong with mailing it back to them with no return address? Too simple?
wrigley
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Drive by the house and toss it on the porch!
jollystomper
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 7,550
I find it interesting that many folks have said "use Google to find out more about the person", but no one seems have said "why don't you search for 'what do I do if I find a lost wallet?' "
legalclarity.org
From the article:
Do not make it more complicated than it needs to be. I would drop it off ASAP at the police station near where you found it, even if it means driving 40 miles to it. Minor inconvenience for doing the right thing. They have procedures for dealing with lost things, and they will keep you anonymous. But do it ASAP. the longer you hold onto it, the longer it can be perceived that you were doing something with it.
I Found a Wallet. What Should I Do?
Found a wallet? This guide provides clear, practical steps on how to responsibly return lost property and reunite it with its owner.
legalclarity.org
From the article:
Do not make it more complicated than it needs to be. I would drop it off ASAP at the police station near where you found it, even if it means driving 40 miles to it. Minor inconvenience for doing the right thing. They have procedures for dealing with lost things, and they will keep you anonymous. But do it ASAP. the longer you hold onto it, the longer it can be perceived that you were doing something with it.
If I lost my wallet I would cancel all my credit cards within a couple of hours and go to the DMV the next day. I usually have just $20 in cash.
Unless I get the wallet back within one hour it doesn't matter.
Finding someone's cell phone is difficult.
One time someone stole my wallet in Italy on our last week. My wife had the same CC numbers. From that experience I learned to have different CC numbers.
We had to open new CC accounts for that because these CC didn't have the option to have 2 different numbers for the same account.
So after I found out my wallet was stolen I took out plenty of cash using the Schwab ATM card and pay for the hotel in advance and closed all the cards.
I also called the CC companies and they said the earliest they can get me new cards is maybe a week.
No thanks, just send them home please.
Unless I get the wallet back within one hour it doesn't matter.
Finding someone's cell phone is difficult.
One time someone stole my wallet in Italy on our last week. My wife had the same CC numbers. From that experience I learned to have different CC numbers.
We had to open new CC accounts for that because these CC didn't have the option to have 2 different numbers for the same account.
So after I found out my wallet was stolen I took out plenty of cash using the Schwab ATM card and pay for the hotel in advance and closed all the cards.
I also called the CC companies and they said the earliest they can get me new cards is maybe a week.
No thanks, just send them home please.
CRLLS
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
With a bit of web research, I found that UPS and USPS require a return address and name on the package. That would not meet my anonymity requirements. This morning, I packed up the wallet and went to Pirateship.com to find the best / quickest way to ship it. UPS was 2 days quicker for only 5 cents more than USPS. When filling out the form for UPS, it would accept my street name with no house number. It would also accept "anonymous" as a name. All left to do now is to drop it off at the UPS Store about 1/4 mile away. If they notice the missing info, it is then up to them as to what they will do with it. It is out of my hands. Pirateship has my info if it gets that far. I am OK with that.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. What a great resource this website is!
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. What a great resource this website is!
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