77-11a-204.  Custody of seized property and contraband.

(1)  An agency with custody of seized property or contraband shall:

Terms Used In Utah Code 77-11a-204

  • Agency: includes a law enforcement agency or a multijurisdictional task force. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • Contraband: includes :
(i) a controlled substance that is possessed, transferred, distributed, or offered for distribution in violation of Title 58, Chapter 37, Utah Controlled Substances Act; or
(ii) a computer that:
(A) contains or houses child sexual abuse material, or is used to create, download, transfer, upload to a storage account, or store any electronic or digital files containing child sexual abuse material; or
(B) contains the personal identifying information of another individual, as defined in Section 76-6-1101, whether that individual is alive or deceased, and the personal identifying information has been used to create false or fraudulent identification documents or financial transaction cards in violation of 5. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • Peace officer: means an employee:
    (a) of an agency;
    (b) whose duties consist primarily of the prevention and detection of violations of laws of this state or a political subdivision of this state; and
    (c) who is authorized by the agency to seize property. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • Person: means :Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • Property: means all property, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • Prosecuting attorney: means :
    (a) the attorney general and an assistant attorney general;
    (b) a district attorney or deputy district attorney;
    (c) a county attorney or assistant county attorney; and
    (d) an attorney authorized to commence an action on behalf of the state. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • Seized property: includes property that the agency seeks to forfeit under Chapter 11b, Forfeiture of Seized Property. See Utah Code 77-11a-101
  • (a)  hold the property or contraband in safe custody until the property or contraband is released or disposed of in accordance with:

    (i)  this chapter; and

    (ii)  Chapter 11c, Retention of Evidence; and

    (b)  maintain a record of the property or contraband, including:

    (i)  a detailed inventory of all property or contraband seized;

    (ii)  the name of the person from which the property or contraband was seized; and

    (iii)  the agency’s case number.
  • (2) 

    (a)  Except as provided in Subsection (2)(b), no later than 30 days after the day on which a peace officer seizes property in the form of cash or other readily negotiable instruments, an agency shall deposit the property into a separate, restricted, interest-bearing account maintained by the agency solely for the purpose of managing and protecting the property from commingling, loss, or devaluation.

    (b)  A prosecuting attorney may authorize one or more written extensions of the 30-day period under Subsection (2)(a) if the property needs to maintain the form in which the property was seized for evidentiary purposes or other good cause.

    (3)  An agency shall:

    (a)  have written policies for the identification, tracking, management, and safekeeping of seized property and contraband; and

    (b)  shall have a written policy that prohibits the transfer, sale, or auction of seized property and contraband to an employee of the agency.

    Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 448, 2023 General Session